Death Becomes Her
by Applegirl3223
Summary: He darted his eyes, trying to find a way to escape but knowing the whole time it was pointless. She stopped a few feet from him. Slowly she pulled her mask off. The man was in shock. It was the face of an angel...
1. Chapter 1

A note from me- so basically as Akatsuki comes closer to acheving their dreams, the fox inside of Naruto starts to act funny. not only that but his team is faced with another problem as they deal with the mysterious woman who's been killing folk lately who will turn out to be a form of a hero. there's no pair ups of anybody yet. this is also a test chapter. any questions/confusions dont be afraid to send me a message. thanks.

The man kept running as the moon shown down on him. His only thought was to get away from her. He tripped over something and fell but was right back up again. He finally stopped in a clearing. It was a beautiful night. The stars shown brightly. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Yes, it was a beautiful night or at least would've been if he hadn't been so fearful of her. He tried to catch his breath, all the while looking around to see if she was there. He couldn't believe he was in this situation. Just a couple hours before he'd been an elite shinobi. He'd been considered one of the best. Now here he was trying to make it to Konoha. He knew or at least hoped he'd be safe in the Leaf Village. Their Hokage was a good person. She'd help him. He prepared to bolt again when a strange sensation came over him. He tried to move but couldn't. Panic began to set in. She'd found him. A cold sweat came over him as he waited. A minute later a figure slowly began to approach him. She walked with a purpose. A black kimono, with sleeves so long they touched the ground, covered her. A white mask similar to what ANBU black ops wore was over her face. Her long hair was pulled into a bun with a few strands sticking out.

"Its time Suzuki" The woman said. He darted his eyes, trying to find a way to escape but knowing the whole time it was pointless. She stopped a few feet from him. Slowly she pulled her mask off. The man was in shock. It was the face of an angel. Reality sank back in, an angel of death. "Don't worry, it'll be painless" The last thing he saw was death smiling at him.

* * *

"I need you to do this for me Naruto, it'll be good for you" Tsunade paced back and forth in her office practicing "How did that sound Shizune?" 

"Maybe change it a little bit" She responded. It was a beautiful spring morning. The temperature was just right and there was a gentle breeze. Tsunade had opened her window to feel it. She'd rather be taking a day off but instead she was practicing for how she'd break it to Naruto that he couldn't go on this next mission and would have to be an escort for a guest coming to town.

"I think it be better if you just told him. You've been doing this for an hour and besides I want to enjoy the day"

"I know, I know" Tsunade snapped a finger. In a poof of smoke a ninja appeared

"Yes Hokage?"

"Get me Naruto"

"Yes Hokage" He disappeared.

"So will you replace him with someone else?"

"No, the mission isn't hard. Sakura, Sai and Yamato should be fine"

"Hey old lady!" Naruto appeared next to Shizune. Tsunade couldn't believe how much he was starting to look like the Fourth. His hair was longer. His voice had matured. He was almost taller than her. He wore plain black pants and a shirt. By the way he looked she could tell he had been sleeping. She was proud of him. He was only nineteen years old but was still one of the best ninja in Konoha.

"How've you been Naruto?"

"Sleepy" He yawned "I was enjoying my day off. Whats going on?" Tsunade hesitated

"Well…I…ummm". A loud sigh came from Shizune

"You're not going on the next mission, honestly Lady Tsunade you would think someone told you to tell him he couldn't be a shinobi anymore"

"Wait, what do you mean I cant go on the next mission?!" He was fully awake now

"Naruto you've been pushing yourself too much. On your last mission you fainted from exhaustion. I know you want to train hard so you can beat Sasuke but you need to take it easy". Naruto growled in anger

"There's nothing wrong with me!"

"Yes there is and besides I think Akatsuki is getting ready to make their final move. They have all the tailed beasts except yours. I'd rather you stay here. It'd be easier to protect you"

"I don't need protection! Sasuke will when I find him!" In their last meeting a couple of months ago Sasuke had almost killed Sakura. That was when Naruto decided that it'd be a death match the next time they met, he couldn't hold back anymore.

"Look Im the Hokage and I make the decision" She raised her voice a bit "You will stay here. Its not like you'll be completely bored. An important guest has requested an escort"  
"Just great" He mumbled

"You're dismissed". He disappeared

"That wasn't so bad" Shizune said. Tsunade looked at her then rolled her eyes.

* * *

"Stop sulking, its not the end of the world" Sakura said. She also had matured. She had let her hair grow back out and lost some of the naivety that she once had. She no longer cried over Sasuke. Naruto hadn't been the only one who pushed himself. She had too, in the process becoming one of the best medic-nins in the village. She wore her medic uniform as she, Naruto and Sai sat at the ramen stand 

"The Hokage is right" Sai piped up. He still looked the same though he wasn't as pale as he used to be and he no longer wore the half shirts.  
"Im OKAY!" Naruto said

"I wouldn't consider fainting off a rooftop during a mission normal" Sakura replied "You could've been killed"

"I don't want to stay here, couldn't I go and just watch or something?"

"Of course not"

"I wish everyone would stop worrying about me. I know my limits" He jumped up then walked away.

"He must really be angry because he left his ramen untouched" Sai remarked but then Naruto raced back grabbed his bowl ,downed the contents, left money and walked off again "Never mind" Sai said.

* * *

Tsunade looked over the body. A ninja had found it just on the outskirts of Konoha. Shortly after Naruto had left she had been asked to look at it. Usually she didn't concern herself with things like this but she had been told something was weird about it. So instead of enjoying the morning, she and Shizune had gone to investigate. It was the body of a young man on his back. He was an average height with dark hair and eyes. The first thing that struck her was the fact that he wore a shinobi uniform, granted it wasn't Konoha's but it was shinobi none the less. The second thing was there was nothing to indicate what had happened. 

"Very strange" Shizune mumbled as she examined the body. A small group of ninja had returned from scouting the area

"Anything?" Tsunade asked

"No Hokage" The leader shook his head. There was silence as the two continued inspecting

"The expression on his face shows that he may have died a painful death" She said

"Hokage, look!" Shizune stood a little a ways from the body

"What is it?" Tsunade asked as she walked over. Shizune simply pointed at the ground. There was the faint impression of foot prints . She began to follow them

"He was running" Tsunade said. She stopped then followed the footprints back up "They stop a little from the feet" She came to the foot of the body

"Well from what we've seen here, he was running then stopped and ended up dead on his back yet there's no sign to show what could've done it" Shizune whispered

"What would you like us to do Hokage?" The leader from earlier asked

"Take the body back home. I want to look at it more" They nodded. In an instant they were gone with the young man.

"Lets go Shizune" Tsunade disappeared. She was about to follow when something caught her eye on the grass. She knelt and picked it up. It was a very slim, almost clear needle.

"Interesting" She mumbled then raced back to Konoha with the needle in hand.

* * *

Yamato and his team, minus Naruto, left later that day. Naruto came to the gate to watch them go. He was still sulking. He gave a half hearted wave to everyone then watched til he couldn't see them anymore 

"I heard they found a needle next to the body" He heard two medic nins 'whispering' not too far from him "Only SHE can use needles in that way". His friend nodded in agreement

"But of course they're not sure its Her. She's never operated this close to our village before"

"Who?" Naruto asked letting his curiosity get the better of him. They gave him annoyed looks then the first answered

"Lady Death" That got his attention. He walked over to them.

"Is she some kinda shinobi or something?" The first gave him an incredulous glance but then his friend said

"Remember Ibuki not many outside of the medic circle know of her or at least would connect the dots" He turned to Naruto "Lady Death is the name of a mysterious woman who has killed a number of people lately"

"Important people?"

"Not really, there doesn't seem to be a pattern. Just last week it was reported that the body of a well known art collector was found and today the body of a ninja…"

"From here?!"

"No" He sighed in relief "Well how come she's only known with medics?"

"She started off as one or that's how the story goes"

"Most regular shinobi dismiss her as made up" The man named Ibuki added "So we don't talk about it with them"

"Hmmm…thanks guys" He darted off to find the Hokage

"Odd kid" Ibuki said

"Yep"

"Hey, wasn't the art dealers body found near the capital?"

"Yeah why?"

"I think that's where the Fifth sent the demon kid's team"

* * *

"Shizune this is amazing" Tsunade said in awe. She was looking at the needle through a microscope "The poison on it is like nothing I've ever seen, not even yours. Actually the poison is almost gone. Its like its evaporating right before my eyes" 

"The needles are her trademark"

"I wonder what kind of poison this is" She mumbled.

"You sent Yamato's team to the town where she was last reported"

"I know but their mission has nothing to do with that. It was coincidence" She stood up and grabbed the book that was next to her on the table.

* * *

"So our mission is to basically make sure this party goes ok?" Sakura asked.. The team was outside of the Land of Fire's capital checking over their mission. 

"Yes, the host of the party is worried someone might try to steal the art work he'll be showing" Sai answered

"I'd rather be back home making sure Naruto is ok or even doing some crazy task for Master Tsunade. Why'd she choose us to do this?"

"From what she told me the host of this is a friend of hers" Yamato said. He looked at the sky. It was getting dark "Lets go, he'll be expecting us"

The party was medium sized and held inside of a tea house. Everything had been moved around. The different art works were set on small tables throughout the room. Sakura walked around observing the beautiful vases that Mr. Sato had collected. Mr. Sato (their host) was paranoid that they would be stolen. Besides Sakura and her team he had guards throughout the area and outside.

"Would everyone please gather around here?" Mr. Sato called the guests toward him "I want everybody to gather in a large circle around this central vase" The vase he referred to was white with orange flowers. It was sitting on a short stand. The guests did what he asked then he said "There will be a performance by a dancer. I've seen her work and I hope the rest of you enjoy it" The lights dimmed. The crowd scooted back a little to make room, many of them sat down on cushions that were provided for them. A single young woman emerged wearing a white mask. Her hair was pulled back into a bun. Her kimono matched the vase, white with orange flowers. The only thing that some found odd was the fact that her sleeves were so long that they touched the ground. Sai, Sakura and Yamato managed to sit near Mr. Sato. As the woman danced Sakura daydreamed.

"_Sakura, Im sorry for the pain that I caused and I hope that you'll forgive me" Sasuke said. He looked so beautiful. Sakura grabbed his hands_

"_Of course I forgive you". He smiled. She blushed. He took a hand and titled her chin up then leaned down to kiss her…_

"Sakura pay attention, something isn't right about this" Sai snapped her back to reality. So she wasnt completely over Sasuke. She frowned then watched the dancer again. Her moves were graceful as she danced around the vase. Everyone was caught up, even Yamato. Sakura smiled and was about to start daydreaming again when the man standing next to her choked. He was one of Mr. Sato's guards. He started to cough then fell to his knees. Before Sakura could help him she heard the same sound from around the room. Several of the guards were collapsing. People were starting to panic. The dancer kept dancing as if she didn't know what was going on. Then the lights went out. Women started screaming. People were trying to find their way out

"Sai, Yamato-sensei" Sakura called but got no answer. As she tried to get her bearing she heard a voice pleading

"Don't kill me please" Sakura recognized the voice as Mr. Sato's brother

"Don't worry, it wont be painful" A voice responded. There was a pause then a scream. Sakura moved towards it. Her eyes finally had adjusted as she looked down to see a body.

Meanwhile Sai had found a way outside and had brought out some of the vases so they wouldn't get knocked down by the panicked guests. It was dark in the entire area except for the moon shining above. He put them off to the side and prepared to go back in when he saw a figure walking slowly out of the building with her head down. He stepped back to see it was the dancer

"Are you ok Miss?". She didn't answer but continued to walk by him down the street. He appeared in front of her. She slowly lifted her head up. The mask covered her face but he could tell her eyes were watching him

"Stay out of my way" She whispered

"I just want to ask you a few questions then you can go" Sai had an uneasy feeling about her

"Last warning, Boy" She stressed the last word. Sai moved to grab her wrist but she moved it then before he could think, he was on the ground on his back. The woman stomped one foot and a small blade came out of the end of her heel. She stabbed him on the side. He didn't scream. She dug the blade deeper.

"Stop!" She turned her head to see a pink haired young woman with and older man standing near the door. "I said stop!"

"Sakura no!" Yamato said but it was too late. She ran towards the woman prepared to attack when the woman flicked her wrist and Sakura fell on the dirt. Yamato ran to her, he knelt down and checked to see if she was breathing. He looked up at the woman who had removed her heel from Sai who had fainted from the pain. She stomped her foot and the blade retracted. She walked slowly towards Yamato

"What did you do to her?"

"Poison, it will kill her in fifteen minutes if you don't get the antidote. There's one at the hospital"

"Why would you tell me that if you were trying to kill her?"

"I wasn't, it was only a warning. I didn't hit any vital organs in the boy so both should live also"

"Who are you?"

"Death if you interfere again" A chill went down his spine. She disappeared as he picked up Sakura..


	2. Chapter 2

A note from me- first chapter i didnt know completely know what i wanted to do with this story but now i do. i tried to add some depth to the charcters, especially sakura and naruto. my annoyance with sakura caused me to make her a little more mature and what not in this story. i wont be bashing her and there wont be a pairing of sakura/naruto. i also wrote this chapter to the tune of "Hero" by Chad Kroeger and Josey Scott. the song describes the story but that'll be understood more as the story moves along .thats it for now

"How are they?" Naruto asked. It was the following morning and Tsunade had summoned him to her office

"Sai went into shock but is fine now. Amazingly no organs were hit. Sakura got the antidote in time and is now sleeping"

"Can I go see them?"

"No" She shook her head "We don't completely know the situation there so itd be better for you to remain here". He collapsed on the floor

"And this was only a warning…"

"That's what Yamato reported that she said"

"Imagine what she could've done"

"Actually that is the interesting part, the only person killed was my friend's brother"

"Why?" He looked up at her

"Not sure. He was injected with a very fast working poison, I told the shinobi that I sent to bring back samples if they can"

"So Im supposed to just stay here while my friends are over there?"

"Yes and you'll be an escort for an older man visiting. Actually I forgot he cancelled" she gave a sheepish grin "Sorry but they'll be fine Naruto, now leave so I can get some work done". He slowly got up then left the office, becoming absorbed in his thoughts

* * *

_Maybe I could leave tonight but I know the old woman has somebody watching me, shes not that stupid. I cant wait here though. They might need me._ Suddenly he heard a yell as he passed by an apartment building and instinctively held his arms out. A young woman fell into them. Naruto was surprised, it wasn't everyday that he caught falling women. She seemed to be an average height with long jet black hair with bangs in the front. She was tanned and wore a brown yukata with shorts underneath and sandals. She opened her brown eyes and looked up at Naruto who didn't know what to say 

"Are you ok?" They both looked up to see another young woman with sliver-ish hair like Kakashi yell down

"Yeah" The woman he held answered

"Only you would slip on a random banana peel and fall out of a window!"

"Shut up!"

"While you're down there we need some milk and eggs" With that she disappeared out of the window.

"Ummm are you hurt?" Naruto finally asked

"Just my pride" She mumbled. She looked at him again "Thank you"

"No big deal"

"You can put me down"

"Oh, sorry" He blushed then set her on the ground. She was much curvier than the girls he was used to seeing, well except for the old lady

"Well thanks again but I gotta go" She smiled then raced off leaving Naruto in a daze

"Hey if that's too much woman for ya just send her over here" A guy yelled as he and his friends walked by. They laughed. Naruto gave them a death glare that immediately shut them up. He needed to think so he started walking again. He was tired of everything, tired of the missions, tired of the gossip/ comments about him behind his back, tired of Sasuke, tired of running…especially the running. Running to get Sasuke when he clearly didn't want to come back, running from Akatsuki, etc. He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose _I need a long break, maybe it wont be so bad to stay in Konoha for a while…_ He was interrupted from his thoughts by a shout. Opening his eyes he saw a small crowd, mostly women gathered around another woman who had held a slender knife at a man's throat

"Kill him!"

"Cut off his nuts!"

"Serves him right!" The many women were shouting and encouraging the other woman, actually as Naruto squinted he slowly began to recognize the face. It was the girl from earlier. He nudged the guy next to him and asked what happened

"That loser was beating up on his pregnant wife. The woman saw him and beat him senseless"

"No wonder the women are so worked up" Naruto said

"Yeah, but have you checked out the girl? She's gorgeous but those eyes, there's something about 'em" . Naruto looked at her eyes. From what he could see they looked dark and cold, not that much different from Sasuke's. He mentally kicked himself for thinking about his ex-teammate. Almost instantly she locked her eyes with his, neither looking away. She finally turned from him, then let the man go but not with out kicking him again. The women cheered. Naruto wanted to talk to her but he couldn't see her. Suddenly he felt someone pulling him away from the crowd

"Lost?" It was the woman

"Umm, no. Just wanted to say hi"

"Really?" She stopped pulling him then turned around to face him with her hands on her hips "Well since you like to follow me, do you have a name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto"

"Kay Naruto, you can call me Hikari" She started to walk away. For some reason he didn't want her to leave yet so he walked with her "Glad you're coming along kid, you can help me with the groceries". _Kid?! She doesn't look that much older than me. Oh no maybe she's like the old woman. Great_

"Twenty-five" She said

"What?"

"That's my age, I know you were wondering and by your big eyed look I'd say you were around eighteen or nineteen"

"Nice guess" He yawned "So where's the store you're going to?" Before she could answer, Hikari yelped then fell face forward onto the ground. She managed to push herself onto her knees "Are you ok?" Naruto asked. She answered by shrieking

"DO I LOOK OK?! I JUST FELL ON MY FACE, ON THE HARD GROUND! AND TO TOP IT OFF I BROKE MY NEW HEELS!" She let off a string of expletives. Naruto was definitely interested now. The woman he saw now was nothing like the cold, almost killer he'd seen before.

* * *

"_Who is that?" Karin whispered. Sasuke and his team had left a small village. They had been close to Itachi. Sasuke was determined not to let him get away but as they were leaving they saw an older man running down the deserted street towards them_

"_Help!" He cried. He had graying hair and was a little short. He wore a plain yukata and nearly collapsed when he reached them. Since he'd lived in the Leaf village for some time he immediately recognized Sasuke "You have to help me! She's going to kill me"_

"_Who?" Suigetsu asked_

"_Death Herself" Sasuke kept his calm demeanor, the other three exchanged glances_

"_Lets go" Sasuke started to walk by him_

"_No don't leave me please! I can tell you where Itachi is!" That got Sasuke's attention_

"_How?"_

"_I over heard an Akatsuki member in another town not too far from here"_

"_You better not be lying" In an instant his sword was against the man's neck "I don't like liars"_

"_Of course!". He withdrew his blade_

"_How do we find her?" Karin asked_

"_Don't worry, she'll find us" Instantly the temperature dropped. A chilly breeze swept by them. _

"_I have a bad feeling about this" Jugo stated. There was silence, no birds, no animals, not even human talking could be heard._

"_She's here" The man stood up and latched onto Sasuke's arm. Normally Sasuke would've knocked someone out for that but he sensed something_

"_You've found friends Kaito" A lone, masked woman said as she walked down the street toward the group. She wore a light blue kimono with sleeves so long that they touched the ground. Her hair pulled back into a bun. Her steps were slow and confident_

"_This is her?" Suigetsu asked. He laughed "There's nothing to be afraid of"_

"_You're right as long as you stay out of my way" There was no hint of fear in her voice_

"_I don't know what you want but this ends now" Sasuke hoped he could end it quickly so they could leave._

"_Childs play" Was the only response he got. The woman disappeared before their eyes_

"_This is freaky" Suigetsu said_

"_Not so cocky now, huh?" Karin smirked_

"_Shut up"_

"_How about both of you do that!" Sasuke snapped. They closed their mouths_

"_Hey uh guys where'd that man go?" Jugo asked. They all turned to the spot that he'd just been in and sure enough he was gone. They heard a scream. They followed it a little outside of the village. There they saw the woman with her back towards them standing over the man. She appeared to be replacing her mask_

"_I warned you boy" In another instant a beautifully carved knife was pressed against his throat as his teammates collapsed. To say Sasuke was shocked was an understatement but he kept his cool "You're not going to kill me?" He smirked_

"_No, I have no need to…yet." She stepped back "You should get your friends to a doctor, they'll need it" Before she could go he appeared in front of her_

"_Why'd you kill him?" There was a pause_

"_We all will die eventually, the life he lived sped up the process" Then with a leap over him she was gone

* * *

_

"Sakura!" Naruto burst into the hospital room. She was sitting on a bed staring at the wall

"Hey Naruto" She said meekly without looking at him. He'd just been to see Sai who was back to himself except for a scar from where he'd been stabbed. He walked over

"Sakura it wasn't your fault". She didn't say anything. Sai had warned him about this. She had been blaming herself. She'd felt that if she'd kept her cool things would've turned out differently. It all went back to when she was younger and had felt she was more of a burden than a real teammate to Naruto and Sasuke. Though she had greatly improved she still dealt with that insecurity.

"I've done worse stuff than that, you were only trying to protect Sai" Finally without thinking Naruto hugged her. Normally she'd scream at him, hit him or call him names but this time was different. "You're a great teammate Sakura and friend" Naruto whispered. A tear slid down her cheek. She hugged him back.

* * *

The sun was starting to set as Naruto sat at the ramen stand thinking. He listened to the gossip of the other customers 

"She killed him?!"

"That's the story, it's the first very prominent person. There's a rumor going around that the man ran into that Uchiha traitor and asked them for help but even he couldn't protect that poor man". Naruto almost choked when he heard that. He turned to see two female medic nins talking.

"Why do you think she does this?"

"I don't know but I heard that some villages and their Kages may team together and offer a reward for her capture. She's obviously dangerous"

"Lady Death is a very fitting name for her"

"Naruto!" Ino shouted, slapping him on the back causing him to spill some of his ramen. She sat down on one side of him

"Ino nice to see you" He mumbled. The two women had looked over, recognizing him they decided to eat their dinner elsewhere.

"Old hags!" Ino called after them "Don't worry about them Naruto"

"I wont" He put on his fake smile "So where's Shikamaru and Choji?"

"They were supposed to meet me here" She looked around and pushed some of her long hair out of her face. "How's Sakura and Sai? I heard what happened to them"

"They're ok"

"I heard they had an encounter with the mysterious Lady Death, you've heard of her right?"

"Yeah"

"Well did your teammates say what she looked like?"

"Wore a kimono with really long sleeves, hair pulled in a bun and a white mask over her face"

"That sounds creepy. I'd really like to see her" She said dreamily

"Why?"

"Because on top of being so cool she's also a woman. There's not many female shinobi to look up to, even if she is a murderer"  
"I guess" Naruto became lost in his own thoughts "Ino can I ask you something?"  
"Sure"

"What if I gave up my chase of Sasuke?". There was a pause

"Honestly Naruto I'd think it'd be good for you and your team, especially Sakura. Its time to move on, if he wants to come then he will on his own. You need to stop wasting time searching for him. Besides how can you become Hokage if you're continually chasing him?" She smiled

"Thanks "

"No problem, come with me to find Shikamaru and Choji. They should've been here by now"

"Ok" He left money for his ramen then the two left. Unknown to either Hikari had been sitting at the end unnoticed. Her eyes were closed and her chin rested on her clasped hands. A sliver haired woman walked up to her

"Find out anything?"

"He knew Sasuke-chan"

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow "What are you gonna do about it?"

"Nothing for the moment" She opened her eyes which had become a pale gray color

"Well I assume with this new discovery that Konoha will be home for a little while"

"You assume right" She smirked

* * *

The stars in the night sky shone brightly as Naruto walked back to his apartment. He and Ino had found their friends at another restaurant. They'd forgotten about Ino. Naruto managed to sneak away from the scene just as she started yelling at them. Suddenly he felt a chilly breeze. He shivered and started walking faster when he heard a sound come from above him. He saw a figure wearing a white mask crouching near the very end of a roof. The figure seemed to be waiting for someone. Suddenly it turned its attention to Naruto. He didn't know what to do. The figure didn't look like it was going to attack. It kept its attention on him, finally it jumped down the other side of the roof. Naruto raced to the area but as he looked around there was no one there. 

"Was I imagining things?" He mumbled. He shrugged then continued to his apartment

Naruto made it home and immediately got into bed but he found it hard to sleep. He finally gave up and walked to his bedroom window. He stared at the beautiful night sky. Everything was so peaceful and calm, well it was until he heard someone knocking on his door. He groaned then threw on a shirt and pants then walked to the door. He opened it to find Hikari standing there. She wore a big smile

"Sorry Blondie but I was in the area. You dropped this earlier" She held out his weapons pouch. He took it and mumbled thanks. "See ya" she started to walk away but Naruto said

"Wait!". She turned around "Umm…" He blushed "Wanna hang out over here for a little bit?". She raised an eyebrow

"Kid, its like 10:30 at night, my feet hurt and Im hungry" He started to apologize but then she said "But ok, since you don't seem half bad" she smiled. She walked in and sat on his couch "So whats wrong?"

"Nothing" He went to the window and started looking out at the sky again. He was too embarrassed to admit that he was just lonely. That feeling came over him more now than ever.

"You're a terrible liar" she stretched out on his couch and watched him "Seriously whats wrong? You barely know me yet you want me to sit around over here this late. Something's wrong"

"I…I don't really want to talk about it, Im sorry. You can go if you want" He turned to face her

"No Im sorry cuz Im not going anywhere. You don't feel like talking but you obviously want some company" she turned on her side "Night Blu"

"That's not my name" He frowned

"I know, you seem so sad though that I decided that's what I want to call you, that and the fact I don't remember your name." She closed her eyes. Soon she was sleep. Naruto had turned back to the window _How long am I going to feel like this?_


	3. Chapter 3

The following morning found Naruto sleeping on the floor with a blanket over him. He opened his eyes slightly then yawned and was about to go back to sleep when he remembered the previous night. He jumped up to see Hikari in the kitchen cooking. He heard a growl. He turned to see an all white wolf standing a few feet from him with bared fangs

"Stop it Icee!" Hikari shouted. The wolf backed down and walked over to her but continued to watch Naruto.

"I don't remember a wolf here last night" Naruto grumbled then stood up

"That's because I let him in this morning. He's sort of protective of items/people he deems his"

"You have a pet wolf?"

"I wouldn't necessarily call it that, more of a mutual friendship" she went back to cooking. Naruto didn't press the issue, he'd seen weirder things. A knock sounded at the door. Without thinking Hikari went to answer it. She found a pink haired young woman standing there

"Hi"

"Ummm…hi" Sakura answered_ What the heck is this?! Naruto never told me he was dating! I didn't even think he'd have time for that. She's pretty though, gotta give him points there. I just wish he would've warned me_ "Is Naruto around?"

"Yep" Hikari stepped back to let her in. Naruto was resting against the wall, half sleep. Sakura frowned. She didn't want to wake him. Naruto sat up and opened his eyes

"Hey Sakura"

"Hey, you never told me you were dating"

"Im not" A confused look came over his face then he put it together "Oh! OH! You mean Hikari! We're not dating"

"Why's she here then?"

"Sort of a long story"

"Blu Im leaving" Hikari had gone back to the kitchen to finish cooking "There's enough food out here for you and your friend. See ya later" She walked out followed by Icee who turned back to give him a warning growl then bounded after Hikari.

"She's different" Sakura mumbled

"I know" Sakura held a hand out. He took it ,she helped him up "What are you doing here. You should still be resting"

"A body was found"

"When?"

"This morning. It was of a woman. The Hokage has partnered with the other villages in the Land of Fire except our capital. They refused for some reason. Anyway a reward is being offered for whoever can capture the killer. Thought it might give you something to do while you're cooped up in the village"

"I don't plan on being here that long" He stretched "Where are you going next?"

"To see Ino"

"I'm coming too" He raced to his bedroom. Sakura followed but stood to the side in the hallway

"She told me about your conversation" She leaned against the wall

"Not surprised"

"Are ready to finally let him go?" Naruto emerged from his room wearing black pants and an old shirt.

"Yes" He looked down at the floor "Its time to move on, he obviously has"

"Naruto we don't have to forget him. I know how much he meant to you…to me"

"We wont forget him but we can still leave him alone" He lifted his head up. "We've wasted too much time already, besides how am I to become Hokage if we're constantly chasing him around?" He smiled. Sakura knew the smile was fake. She had become good at determining when his smile was real or not, which most of the time it wasn't. She sighed

"You're not gonna be Hokage either if you're stuck in the village" she started for the door

"That's her fault not mine! Hey let me go on the next mission with you. I've thought of the perfect plan to sneak away"

"No way! Im not gonna get in trouble because of you and shouldn't you take a shower?" . He sniffed under his arm then shook his head

"Nope"

"That's disgusting Naruto" She turned away from him

"What did I do?"

* * *

"**Be on guard Naruto" the fox warned. "That Hikari girl is dangerous"**

"What are you talking about?"** Naruto asked Kyuubi who was pacing in his cage**

"**Just listen to me! I know what Im talking about! Especially that wolf of hers"**

"Well thanks but if I need advice on which women to avoid I'll try someone human"

"**Idiot, you have no idea of what she's capable…ARGH!"**

"AHHHH!" Naruto collapsed outside of the Ino's flower shop.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed "Whats wrong?!"

"Kyuubi" He panted

"Whats going on?" Ino raced out. Naruto was lying on his back and looked like he was in a lot of pain

"I don't know" Without thinking Sakura lifted up his shirt slightly to see the seal. It was gone

"No!" She gasped

"What?" Ino followed her gaze. She paled. By now a small group of curious onlookers had gathered around

"He's lost his seal!" Someone shouted

"The demon will return!" The people were becoming panic-stricken

"We have to get him out of here" Ino said as she stood then picked up one of Naruto's arms and put it around her shoulders. Sakura went to the other side and put his arm around her shoulder then the two darted for the Hokage's office.

* * *

"Two hundred" Hikari said as she did her push ups. The silver haired woman sat cross legged in a chair drinking tea while Icee slept peacefully near the door.

"Im tired of this look" The woman said then in a poof of smoke she became a dark haired woman with a long braid going down her back. She wore a plain yukata.

"Nice to see you back, the silver hair thing was getting old"

"Don't get too happy. I still have to use it when outside of here. So any progress on finding Sasuke?"

"No" Hikari stood then cracked her knuckles. "He's harder to find than I thought it'd be" Just as she took one step she slipped and fell on her back "OWWWWWWW!!"

"You are the clumsiest person in the whole universe. You didn't even slip on anything" She shook her head

"Leave me alone" Hikari turned on her side. Her friend threw an apple at her head "Ouch! What was that for?"

"Get up and come see this" She stood at the window looking down over the street. Hikari joined her

"What is it?" She rubbed her head. Down on the street she saw a commotion. Tsunade was screaming over a blonde haired boy who'd been laid on the ground. She squinted

"Blu"

"Who?"

"Blu, the guy I was with yesterday"

"That's his real name?"

"No that's just what I call him cuz I don't remember his name. I wonder what happened" She walked away from the window

"Where you going?"

"To check it out" Icee jumped up and followed her

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed louder. Sakura and Ino hadn't made it far when Naruto had started to struggle against them. They'd laid him on the ground again and Ino had run to get the Hokage.

"Where the hell is Jiraiya when I need him?!" She yelled. The villagers were staying away from Naruto because they were scared so there weren't many people around him. Hinata and Neji had come to help as did all of Naruto's friends including Kakashi and Iruka but no one knew what to do. Suddenly he sat up and looked around.

"His eyes!" someone shouted. True enough Naruto's eyes had turned a reddish orange. The whisker marks on his face had become more dominant. Fangs started to appear.

"Not now, not like this!" Tsunade started to walk to him, thinking that maybe she could bring him back

"No Hokage!" Shizune grabbed her "You don't know what he'll do"

"Let go of me!" Tsunade had become hysterical. As she struggled Kakashi was able to knock her out

"Im sorry Hokage" He mumbled then picked her up

"Whats the plan?" Guy asked as a tail appeared on Naruto

"The Hokage should be gotten to safety" Shizune said "We'll have to stay and defend the village"

"Naruto" Sakura whispered but prepared herself. Just as everyone was getting ready they heard

"Blu I didn't know you could do that" They turned to see a young woman with a white wolf walking behind her.

"Get out of here!" Lee shouted "This is dangerous"

"Give me a minute" She continued walking to Naruto who by this time had grown three tails.

"You'll get killed, this isn't a joke" Iruka said

"Who's laughing?" Hikari gave him a stern look then kept walking. Naruto eyed her but didn't do anything. She walked closer until she was directly in front of him. He growled. She calmly began to whisper to him. No one could hear what she said but suddenly Naruto began to revert from his fox form until he was himself again. Amazingly he looked fine. Sakura was shocked. The last time he'd gone back from his fox form he'd been bloody and beat up but now he appeared as if nothing had happened. He'd fallen unconscious to the ground; well almost except Hikari caught him. There was a stunned silence

"You're not the only one who knows some tricks Kyuubi" Hikari mumbled.

* * *

An hour later found Naruto in the hospital. He wasn't unconscious but still sleeping. Sakura, Sai, Kakashi and Yamato were in his room while the Hokage paced outside. She'd woken up a few minutes before. Kakashi had thought she would've been angry with him but she wasn't. She'd understood why he did it. She hadn't been thinking straight. Naruto was like the son she never had but always wanted. There was no way she was going to allow anything to happen to him.

"Where is she?" She asked the shinobi who appeared in front of her

"We don't know" As soon as she thought he was ok, Hikari had disappeared. Normally this wouldn't have been a big deal. Someone could just track her down but she apparently didn't want to be found and had done an excellent job of hiding herself.

"She has to be a shinobi of some sort in order to hide this well" Tsunade said "Well don't stop searching until she's found"

"Yes Hokage" He bowed then left

"You four out of the room. He needs rest" She yelled into the room They hesitated but one by one they left. A few minutes later a breeze came through the open window. He stirred then looked around to see an older gray haired woman standing over the bed. She smiled at him then in a poof of smoke became Hikari

"They've been looking for you" He said softly

"How would you know? You're supposed to be sleep"

"Its hard to do that when you're worried about something taking over your body"

"Its not going to, trust me" She pulled up a chair then sat down. Naruto heard a growl. Icee had jumped on the bed and was sniffing him. Finally after walking around in a circle she laid down at his feet

"He's starting to like me" He managed a small smile

"Get some rest Blu"

"Naruto" He whispered

"Naruto" She smiled "And don't worry, I promise nothing's going to happen to you"

"Sure" He closed his eyes, eventually falling asleep

"Are you going to explain how you did that?" Tsunade asked standing in the doorway

"Family secret"

"How long are you in town?"

"Not sure yet, I told mom that I'd find Sasuke before coming home"

"He's not the same as you remember him, he almost killed his best friend. What makes you think that he wouldn't do the same to you?"

"Sasuke couldn't kill me if his life depended on it"

"You have that same cocky attitude that your family is known for" Tsunade gave a soft laugh "We'll talk later" She walked away

"What have I gotten myself into Icee?" She glanced at the wolf who gave her a "Don't ask me" look then went to sleep. She sighed and watched Naruto

"_Leave me alone!" A brown haired girl screamed. Two boys continued to walk toward her. The older of the two pushed her down. She didn't understand why people treated her like that. In town she was looked upon with fear. She didn't have many friends and would sometimes cry herself to sleep. Her sister and brother weren't treated this way._

"_Youre just a big baby, I don't know why everybody's so scared of you" The younger one pushed her again then laughed. Tears started to form in her eyes. She didn't understand why life was like it was and she was only five._

"_Cry baby!" he repeated, getting ready to kick her when he was punched in the face. A boy around the girl's age stood in front of her protectively._

"_You guys need to get a life"_

"_Uchiha!" The older boy said "Get otta here! This isn't your business"_

"_Yes it is" Sasuke smiled "She's my cousin and if you two don't leave her alone Im gonna beat the crap out of you then go and get my brother". On hearing that the boys paled_

"_We were only jokin anyways" One said shakily then ran off followed by his friend. Sasuke relaxed then turned to face his cousin who had tears running down her cheeks_

"_I wish I were as brave as you" She fidgeted "I am a big baby"_

"_No you're not" He helped her up "They're dumb for messing with you since youre much younger than them"_

"_Sasuke why is everyone so afraid of me?! I don't get it!" She started crying_

"_Don't cry, one day Im sure you'll be the brave one and I'll be the cry baby" He smiled "Lets go find my Dad so we can get some ice cream"_

"_Ok" She wiped away her tears_

"_I'll always be there for you Hikari" Sasuke grinned._

"Hikari wake up!" She'd fallen asleep in the chair. Someone kept shaking her. She finally opened her eyes to see her friend kneeling next to her. She glanced over to see Naruto still sleep with Icee on the bed.

"Miya what do you want?" She rubbed her eyes.

"While you were getting your beauty sleep I took the liberty of doing some research"

"Of what?"

"A friend". Hikari understood the meaning. She got up and snapped a finger at her wolf who jumped off the bed.

"Alright show me". Miya led her out of the room.

"Bye Naruto, I'll bring you a souvenir!" Sakura yelled as she, Yamato and Sai walked away. Naruto had been allowed out of the hospital, where he'd been for two days, to watch them off. "Take care of him Hikari!"

"I will!" She grinned waving. Naruto didn't know why but Hikari and Sakura had become fast friends since his hospital stay. Hikari had been staying with him there and built up a friendly relationship with Sakura who was there just as much. He stayed at the gate until he couldn't see them anymore.

"Ready to go?" she asked. He nodded. The Fifth had ordered that he stay with Hikari and her friend until a way to restore the seal was found. He still wasn't sure how she was able to settle the Kyuubi, in fact no one was. He followed her as she walked to her home. After walking up two flights of stairs she stopped at the door at the end of the hallway. She unlocked the door to reveal a small apartment that was modestly furnished. The kitchen and front room shared the same space though the kitchen area was off to the left and had a long counter plus stools to sit on. To his right there was a short hallway which he guessed led to the bedrooms

"Ok this is my home" She grinned "I share it with my si…uh roommate who isn't here now but you'll meet her later. He nodded again noticing that there were no pictures hanging up or much of anything to make the apartment seem 'homey'. At his place his clothes were everywhere, he had pictures and it looked like someone lived there but this one seemed like Hikari was only there temporary, not intending to stay "Hello?" Hikari snapped her fingers

"You in there?"

"Huh? Yeah, sorry" He gave a sheepish grin "Sorta zoned out"

"No kidding, I was asking you if you were hungry?" At that point his stomach decided to make noises which she said "I'll take that as a yes. Your room is the first door down the hall on your right. You can check it out while I whip up something". He picked up his stuff and walked to his room. Walking inside he saw a plain bed in the corner, a window across from him, a dresser, a closet and a small table with a light on it near the bed. He dropped his bags and collapsed on the bed, turning to face the wall

"_Naruto this will be for the best, you'll see" Tsunade told him as he sat up in his hospital bed_

"_I barely know her"_

"_True but she is able to control the fox somehow. We need her here. I'd feel more comfortable with you staying with her. The seal is completely gone now. There's no reason for the Kyuubi to NOT take over". Naruto silently thought all of it over_

"_How do you know her?" She raised an eyebrow at the question "I heard you two talking. She seemed to know Sasuke"_

"_Hmm…lets just say her mother was well known around here"_

"_Fine I'll do this but for how long?"_

"_I'm not sure Naruto, I'm waiting for Jiraiya to return. I sent teams to find him but its proving very difficult" She rose from the chair she'd been sitting in, walking over to his bed then kissed him on the forehead "Everything will be fine Naruto. I wont lose you without a fight"_

The sun had long since set as Naruto, Hikari and her friend Miya sat at the counter eating. All three were silent, wrapped up in their own thoughts. Naruto had thought Miya was the shortest tempered person he'd ever met. She was tall, had long silver hair and was tanned. She looked like an innocent young woman but that was before Naruto accidentally called her Maya. She'd blown her top, calling him every name in the book and making up new ones. It took Hikari a few minutes to settle her down. Now she appeared to want nothing to do with Naruto

"So Naruto what are you gonna do since you're stuck in the village?" Hikari asked, breaking the silence

"Not sure, maybe I'll help the Fifth with looking into that woman that was killed"

"Awwww, isn't that cute. Little blonde boy is a detective now" Miya's voice dripped with sarcasm

"Ignore her, what made you decide on that?"

"Sakura told me…" He stopped the jumped up "I SAW HER!"

"Who?" Hikari and Miya asked

"The death woman who attacked my team. I think she's here!"

"And how do you know?" Miya rolled her eyes

"Something I saw a few days ago, be back" He disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"This'll be fun" She snorted

"Depends on what your definition of fun is" Hikari returned to eating her rice.

* * *

Sasuke's team sat in a small clearing. He'd stopped then walked off somewhere by himself. Suigetsu was getting annoyed

"I wish he wouldn't leave like this, we could've been to our destination by now"

"Calm down, he just needs some breathing space" Karin said

"He always does, why are we even going to the capital? Itachi isn't there"

"Guess he'll tell us when he's ready"

"This is ridiculous, if anything they'll have been notified by Konoha of his departure a few years back. They'll no doubt try and capture him. The shinobi that guard that city are much more skilled"

"Speaking from experience?" Karin raised an eyebrow.

"Whatever" He turned away

"Jugo you've been quiet, what do you think?" She asked

"This is something different. His demeanor is being affected"

"Maybe he's having second thoughts" Suigetsu said quietly

"Maybe…" Karin looked off into the direction Sasuke had left

Sasuke wasn't having second thoughts about Itachi. He knew what he had to do it or his family wouldn't be at peace, he wouldn't be at peace. He sat in a tall tree with one leg hanging over the side. That wasn't what he was worried about. He was close to killing his dear brother, he felt it. The question was what he would do after that. He closed his eyes and felt the breeze blow pass. He'd been threw so much and it was almost over but he didn't think he could go back to Konoha, back to Naruto. Things wouldn't be the same _They probably wouldn't allow me into the village anyway. Itd be a waste of time. I need to plan for after Itachi's death. I couldn't go with Suigetsu, he annoys me too much. Not with Karin, she annoys me more. Jugo but I'm not sure about that either. I probably couldn't stay in the Land of Fire at all. Too many villages know who I am. Its hard enough as it is covering my tracks._ He stirred out of his thoughts when he felt a weight on the branch. Directly in front of him was the woman his team had encountered not too long before. She wore the same hairstyle with the white mask. Her black kimono still had the long sleeves.

"Can I help you?" Sasuke asked with a hint of annoyance

"Uchiha Sasuke its nice to see you again" A calm voice replied back

"What do you want? Are you another shinobi the leaf village has sent after me?" He already knew the answer

"No"

"Then who are you?"  
"A gentle breeze or a raging storm. Take your pick". Sasuke was trying hard not to loose his calm. Normally he wouldn't have let this get to him, normally but he wasn't in the mood

"I don't have time for games"

"Nor do I" He stood up and intended to kill her but she said "This is a warning, you will stop your hunt for your brother or I will stop you". Akatsuki, that's who she worked for. Though he'd never heard of her and was sure he knew all of the members. He smirked

"I'll stop once he's dead"

"I will give you time to think about what I just said. Your great dream of a glorious revenge can only be a fuel for so long" She turned to leave "Your continued hunt hurts others and also puts the lives of them in danger. For that you must be stopped, I've also visited Itachi myself. He didn't take my warning so serious though" Sasuke frowned "Actually I've visited each remaining Akatsuki member. They all weren't as nice as you. Also you should visit the Wind Country sometime, very beautiful place" She jumped and was gone. Saskuke blinked _Who is she?_


	4. Chapter 4

"So what do you wanna do?" Hikari asked as she lay on the floor

"I don't know, what do you wanna do?" Naruto asked lying beside her on his back. Both were bored. Hikari had no idea that she'd end up as a sort of babysitter for him. She was surprised at how paranoid the people were of the Kyubbi Yes the seal was gone but with proper training Naruto could be taught how to control it. Most villagers treated him with even more hostility than before though she couldn't imagine what it was like before this. Naruto had been living with her and Miya for a week now. Sakura and Sai had yet to return and there wasn't much to do around the village. He had tried helping Tsunade with the mysterious killer but she said he was getting in her way and sent him home.

"This village is so boring! At the last one there was something to do everyday" She groaned

"You never told me where you were from anyway?"

"Family used to live in this area then moved to where my dad's family came from"

"Which is…"

"The Wind Country"

"Really?!"

"Yeah, why so excited?"

"I have a friend there"

"Name"

"Gaara, he's the Kazekage of Sunagakure"

"Sounds familiar but my Dad's family is from a…lets just say an isolated area "

"What are you doing here?"

"Wanted to travel and I was sorta put in an arranged marriage"

"You married?!" He started laughing

"What the hell so is funny Blondie?"

"I cant imagine you anyone's wife" He settled down "Whats his name?"

"Like it matters, you probably don't know him, I think its Nishi or is it Niji?" She looked at the ceiling thinking "Well I do know his last name, its Hyuga ". Naruto bolted up

"You serious?"

"Yep, why?"

"Nothing, its that oh never mind" He'd let her find out on her own _I haven't heard Neji talk about a marriage or anything like that_ "Why do you have to get married?"

"Not sure but we have to get married by his twenty first birthday" Actually Hikari knew the exact reason for it but she couldn't share it with Naruto yet no matter how much she wanted someone else to know "My grandma went into an arranged marriage and so did my Dad. They're lucky because they at least knew their future spouse and came to love them, I've never even met this guy before. I've been trying to figure a way out of it. Are you listening?" She elbowed Naruto _I guess I should at least let her meet him so she knows what she's getting into. Neji isn't that bad but his uncle that's another story_

"Lets go out"

"To where?"

"For a walk" He jumped up "Where's that creepy wolf of yours?"  
"No idea, he comes and goes"

"Lee, Neji!" Naruto shouted. The two were standing outside the Hokage's office. Neji had become an ANBU captain while Lee wasn't to far from being named one himself. Hikari nearly tripped and fell on her face when she heard Neji's name. Naruto caught her and patted her on the back. She grabbed his collar and whispered

"Im gonna kick your ass when we leave" He laughed brushing off the threat

"Hey Naruto! Who is your friend?" Lee asked

"This is Hikari"

"Oh yes, you're the one who was able to help Naruto. Im Rock Lee and this is my friend Neji Hyuga". Neji nodded a greeting

"So what are you guys up to?"

"Waiting on TenTen to return. The Hokage had wanted to speak with her"

"Have you been getting rest?" Neji asked

"Of course" _Liar, he's been so restless that its put Miya in a bad mood all week. I cant believe he did this to me. I could've at least got a warning. Miya's gonna laugh forever about this one. I wish I could remember something about him besides his name. Guess I shouldn't have tuned Granny out when she was doing all that babblin'._ She turned her attention back to Neji who she caught giving her an odd look. He didn't turn away but raised an eyebrow slightly. She made a face at him. A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Im back!" TenTen burst out of the door. For once she had decided not to wear her hair in the buns. It was in a loose ponytail "Naruto! How do you feel?"

"Alright I guess" Though he knew they were only looking out for him he was getting tired of answering that question

"Who's this?" She saw Hikari

"Hikari, an associate of mine" Naruto smiled

"Nice to meet all of you but we've gotta go" With that, she pulled Naruto behind her.

"Whats wrong?" Lee asked Neji seeing the frown on his face

"Her name, I've heard it before…Naruto!" The two stopped

"What?"

"I want to invite you and your friend to dinner tonight at the Hyuga estate"

"Why?"

"Hinata's birthday"

"I forgot"

"I only told you a million times" TenTen rolled her eyes

"We'll be there" He grinned

"Who's Hinata?" Hikari asked as they walked down the street

"Neji's cousin. Im sure you'll become fast friends once you're married" He avoided a slap on the head "Why don't you tell him who you are?"

"He'll figure it out eventually. No need in me helping him along, especially since Im close to figuring a way out of it" She became silent as she thought

"I have to get her a present!" He raced off with Hikari walking behind him _Maybe I should hide who I am. Granny said something about his Uncle being the one who helped arranged the marriage sometime ago. This is going to be one big headache. _

'**I cant believe you're still around her' **The fox growled

'I was wondering when I'd hear your lovely voice'

'**This is no joke! She's dangerous!'**

'She saved my life, why are you so afraid of her anyway?' There was silence 'Now you want to get quiet'

'**Just keep alert around her and watch the wolf. He's as dangerous or more so than she is'**

'Sure, but one of these days you're gonna have to tell me why you don't like her'

'**If you only knew boy'**

"_Granny why do I have to get married?" Hikari whined_

"_You already know the answer. Come now, I thought you'd take it much better. You knew it was coming" The elderly woman sat tall and elegant with her long gray hair cascading down her back. Hikari had always admired her._

"_But isn't there a way out of this?" The sixteen year old whined_

"_No. I don't know why you're acting this way. I was in an arranged marriage, so was your mother and father. Look how it worked out"_

"_At least you guys got to know each other before you found out, you were already friends. I've never even heard of this Nishi"_

"_Neji"_

"_Nishi, Neji its all the same. To top it all off he's from the Leaf village in the Land of Fire. Everyone knows their shinobi are less skilled than an elderly woman here". Her grandmother smiled. That cocky attitude had become her families' trademark. "Anyways couldn't I find some one on my own?"_

"_You know the answer to that. The survival of our family gift depends on this. You were blessed with the gift and now you must do what is necessary for it to continue. Besides the Hyuga clan is a good one. I've talked to the family, his uncle approved of it. I also met Neji. He is a handsome young man"_

"_I don't care if he is, that doesn't change anything" she slouched in the chair, pouting_

"_At times we must all do things we don't like, but this will be a good match. You'll see"_

"_When is it?"_

"_Around his twenty- first birthday, he's fifteen now"_

"_I have six years to figure a way out of this"_

"_Good luck Granddaughter but my advice to you is to think of the future. One day you'll look back on this and thank me" she rose from her big chair_

"_I doubt it"_

Hikari was bored. She and Naruto were at a small shop. She had given up trying to help him and instead relegated herself to standing near the door, leaning against the wall. She was tired. She yawned as a young man wearing traveling clothes. He had ruffled, jet black hair and a goatee. His dark eyes scanned the store. Naruto had enlisted the help of one of the store clerks to pick out a gift.

"How've you been?" The man broke the silence

"Alright, just a little tired". He frowned

"Make sure you rest Hikari, you know I worry about you"

"I'll live, how's mom and dad?"

"Anxious. They think you left because of your marriage"

"Maybe I partly did"

"I told you I wasn't gonna allow you to marry the Hyuga, "

"I don't have a choice remember?"

"You always have a choice"

"I met him sorta"

"Meeting him changed your mind?"

"No, if any thing it only strengthened my resolve"

"So your search for Sasuke…"

"Is going ok. I mean we know where he is, the problem is what to do now. He thinks we're dead just like we thought he was dead"

"Your friend appears to have finished" He said referring to Naruto who was at the counter paying for something "I should get going, be careful"

"Where are you going?"

"Home"

"Tell everybody I love 'em"

"I will. Bye"

"Bye" He whispered. In an instant he was gone.

"Ready to go?" Naruto asked a couple of minutes later

"Yep"

Naruto sat on his bed, uncertain. He hadn't dressed up since TenTen had told him later that day that it was an informal dinner. He lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't explain it but for some reason he felt weak, he'd felt like that ever since that day the seal disappeared and even weaker around Hikari. He liked her but he wondered about what it was that the Kyubi was so scared of about her. He did get the sense that she was hiding something, first it was the conversation he'd overheard between she and the Hokage and now he'd seen her talking to some random guy. Of course she probably didn't know that he'd seen them. As a shinobi he was trained to notice things like that. He wanted to outright ask her but on the other hand he felt it wasn't his business.

He rubbed the bridge to his nose. He didn't feel like going to the dinner but Hinata had become a close friend over the years. She'd outgrown the girlish crush that she'd had. He knew about that too. Everyone thought he was oblivious so he let them continue to think that way. He could deal with everyone at the Hyuga estate that night except for Hinata's father. For some reason Mr. Hyuga didn't like him and made it known that he'd never allow Hinata to date him. "I don't feel like dealing with him tonight" Naruto mumbled

"Dealing with what shorty?" Miya poked her sliver haired head in. She called him whatever name she felt was appropriate for the day. She called him shorty because he was only an inch shorter than her but even though she was tall she also wore heels a lot so he didn't pay any attention to it

"Nothing, talking to myself"

"That's not a good habit. Hikari is ready when you are. Don't come back all late and shit, got it?"

"Yes mom" He rolled his eyes

"I'm just trying to warn you, I hate it when people come in late makin a whole bunch of noise so it'd be better it you didn't come in late at all" She gave him a mean look then left. Naruto sat up, trying to work up strength to at least stand. He didn't see the wolf watching from the corner of his room.

* * *

Everyone sat a a long table in the dining room. All of Hinata's closest friends were there, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Ino, Lee, TenTen, and their sensei's. Her uncle sat at the head with his wife on his left and HInata and her sister on his right. Neji sat next to them. Naruto and HIkari sat across from them. When Hikari had come at first Hinata hadn't said much to her but as the evening dragged on they started talking. Though HInata liked her, she didn't know why Neji had invited her. She glanced at him, he was watching Hikari who was joking with Kiba. She didn't understand him at times. As the food was brought out the guests began to loosen up more. Laughter filled the room. Naruto got up. He went over to Hinata and whispered something to her. She got up, prepared to go with him when her father said

"Where are you going Hinata?"

"Naruto-chan wanted to talk with me" She looked down at the floor. Though she had grown up she was still afraid of her father

"Can he not say it in front of all of us?" He didn't even look at Naruto who was becoming madder by the second

"Its…its personal"

"Really? I hope he's not going to ask you out" The evening had been building to this. Naruto knew the moment he walked in and wasn't even acknowledged like the other guests "We talked about this"

"Dear…" His wife started to say "Not now"

"It needs to be said. Naruto is not worthy of our daughter, however weak she may be. He's probably worthy of no self-respecting woman, not with the monster inside of him. I'm only saying what many villagers already know. The only reason he hasn't been kicked out is because he's had the fortune of being close to two of our Hokage's" No one said anything. No one would because of Mr. Hyuga's place on the social ladder, well at least nobody except one.

"Hinata sit down" He ordered. She prepared to do just that when a voice said

"No if you wanna talk to Naruto then go on. He's not the boss of you" Hikari stood up

"Do you know who're you're talking to young lady?" He growled

"Yeah, a complete asshole" she rolled her eyes "A dog has more class than you'll ever have. Stop talking down to your daughter and back the hell off of Naruto. He didn't do anything to you"

"That's not for you to worry about"

"Come on, why don't you tell us what he did? It must've been something pretty bad in order to get this much hatred. Does it have to do with the Kyubi?" She smiled "It amazes me how you guys hate him for it when its not his fault, real mature there buddy"

"You're not even from here so I have no need to answer to you"

"Like I said, you're an asshole and not worth it"

"How dare you" He stood up

"If you're gonna do something then do it, otherwise sit down" The room was filled with tension.

"I think we should all calm down" Kurenai said. The dinner wasn't supposed to go like this, she helped plan most of it. Hikari put her hands on her hips. Her eyes flickered to a gray color then back

"Impossible…" He mumbled

"That's what I thought, lets go Naruto" She started to head for the doorway. A stunned Naruto followed her. Mr. Hyuga was shocked further when he saw Icee start to follow them then the wolf turned around, gave him a deadly look then walked on. He hadn't even noticed it before.

"You need to sit down" His wife whispered "Whats wrong?"

"Okami" He muttered

The two had reached the front door when they heard

"I'm sorry Naruto" Neji said

"Its not your fault" He answered without turning around

"But it is, I knew how he felt about you. I just wanted Hinata to have all her friends here"

"Naruto…" Hinata whispered. He turned around. Hikari by this time was getting impatient. She crossed her arms and watched them "I'd understand if you don't want to talk to me again. I'm so sorry"

"Hinata its not your or Neji's fault. I'm ok, really. I've gotten used to it"

"That's the problem, no one should ever get used to being treated like that" Hikari said

"She's right, so what if we eat somewhere else?" Hinata asked

"But what about your birthday dinner?". She shrugged

"I'll have it with you and your new friend". Naruto turned to Hikari, she nodded

"Ok!" He grinned

Naruto, Hikari, Hinata and Neji sat in a small restaurant. It had been crowded when they had arrived but Neji used his family connections to get them a table. Naruto and Hikari sat on one side while the two cousins sat on the other. They had already ordered and were waiting for their food

"What will the rest of your friends do?" Hikari asked

"Kiba whispered that he and the rest of my team would take me out later. They were all going to leave"

"He was the one next to me right?"

"Uh huh"

"Where are you from Hikari?" Neji asked

"Oh, ya know, just around"

"Around where?"

"A small village not too far from here" Naruto answered "Don't remember the name though" He smiled

"Really?" Neji narrowed his eyes. Hikari smiled too

"Yeah, I came here to get a break. Being in a small town got annoying" She gave a nervous laugh. Hinata didn't seem to notice the nervousness of her friends. She continued to drink her tea. Neji was getting ready to question them further when the food arrived. Hikari was relieved. Neji let the subject drop.

* * *

Around the same time Tsunade was staying late in her office, going through different books. Shizune knocked then entered

"Any word from Jiraiya?" she asked without pulling away from her book

"No. How's your research going?"

"Alright so far. The poison that was in the needles was extremely deadly. Death occurred within seconds of it entering the blood stream. Seconds Shizune, not minutes. Whoever killed these men knew exactly what they were doing. This isn't some random poison they picked up. You can only find the plant that makes this toxin in certain parts of the world, none of which are here in our country nor any of the closest ones" She rubbed her eyes

"Get some sleep, we can finish this tomorrow"

"I cant, this is too interesting of a case. Besides I cant sleep. I'm worried about Naruto too much. That's why I need Jiraiya. He's the only person who completely understands the seal that the Fourth placed on him"

"Kakashi could place a temporary one on him"

"He tried while Naruto was knocked out that day. It didn't work" she leaned back in her chair.

"Well Hokage I'm going home, don't stay up too late"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be fine" she waved her away. With a last glance Shizune left. Tsunade rested her eyes for a moment then grabbed another book and was preparing to start reading again when she came across a passage

'These ancient clans were known to uphold ancient traditions. Many of them taking up animals of their choosing as their family symbol. It is thought that the animals chosen were abnormally intelligent and protected their clans. To this day it is not known whether any of these families still exist. If they did it would be a remarkable feat considering all that is thought they achieved'

"What's this?" she looked at the cover. It read _Mythical Clans._ "This isn't what I need" she mumbled but continued flipping through the pages until she came across a a large picture of an elegant wolf in a sitting position. At the bottom of the page in bold letters it read**Chapter 12: The Creators of The Tailed Ones**. She turned the page and started to read.

Naruto poked his head in the office. Tsunade was asleep at her desk with a book open under her head. Light streamed in through the cracks in the blinds. He walked over and opened them. When he saw that she still didn't wake he walked over to her desk, leaned down and yelled

"Good Morning Hokage!".

"What? Whats going on?" She jumped up then her eyes fell on Naruto's smiling face "You little brat!" She yawned "What time is it?"

"Around seven"

"Just great" She pulled her personal storage of sake out from under her desk, along with a glass. She poured herself one then downed its contents. Naruto sat in one of the chairs across from her desk. His eyes drifted around her office. Everything was neat and in order except for her desk which was covered with books and papers. He watched her as she drank another glass. Though she still looked the same he could tell she wasn't. They had become close over time, so close in fact that she wanted to officially adopt him as her son but there were people who had done a great job in preventing that. He knew that she worried constantly about him. Sakura had told him that was one reason why she kept putting off looking at his ANBU captain application, she was afraid to lose him.

"What are you doing awake so early?" After three glasses she had put the sake away.

"Couldn't sleep"

"Naruto the whole point of you being confined to the village is so you can get rest. Im not going to send you on more missions if I deem you too exhausted" She saw the far away look in his eyes. He was starting to get it more. He had mentioned to her before that itd be better if he moved away but so far he stayed in Konoha "What happened?" Naruto turned his gaze to the window "Naruto, answer me"

"Hyuga" was all he needed to say. Tsunade sighed. As much as she wanted to protect and shield Naruto she knew that she couldn't all the time "But don't worry Hikari took care of it" A faint smile appeared on his face

"How so?"

"Basically she stood up for me and called him a few names"

"Really?" She sat back in her chair "So much like her mother"

"Who is she?" His eyes became fixed on her. His face had become so serious that she decided to tell him what she knew

"I trained her mother for a time. She grew up here"

"Her mom?"

"Yes, she came from a very prominent family. You know how you heard her mention Sasuke?" He nodded "He's her cousin". To say Naruto was shocked was an understatement. He mouth dropped open

"How…impossible…but Itachi…" He couldn't form a complete sentence. Tsunade laughed

"Her mother was a Uchiha, Sasuke's father's sister or aunt, she married into another family but her children still possess the Sharigan and all that. At the time of the murders Hikari and her family lived somewhere else though they visited the Uchiha compound so much that many thought they lived there. Besides I doubt Itachi would've been able to kill his aunt or his cousins"

"Why?"

"Believe me when I tell you that the training she put her children through would be considered hell by many shinobi. She was always pushing herself and her kids". Naruto sat silent for a minute then said

"Sasuke never mentioned them"

"He thought they were dead. When they came here for the funerals he had hidden himself, to be alone. Many villagers had thought he had been killed too so his aunt assumed everyone was dead. She was so distressed about what happened that she couldn't stay in Konoha. She left before the burials and never returned". Silence enveloped them again. Naruto stood up

"She's looking for him, that's one of the reasons she's here"  
"Probably"

"She's gonna be disappointed"

"She'll deal with it when the time comes and Naruto don't bring this up unless she does" He nodded

* * *

"You called him a what?!" Miya was laughing hysterically. She and her friend were on one of the training grounds. Hikari wore loose gray pants with a white tank. Her hair was in two ponytails. Miya wore old shorts with a shirt. Her hair fell loose around her shoulders. They had finished an intense sparing match that had left both with numerous cuts, scratches and bruises.

"I cant believe no one said anything to him" Miya sat down and started to clean her sword. Hikari sat on a large rock not too far from her staring at the sky

"I know, they were all being quiet because of his social standing. People around here are weird. Back home if that old jerk had said that to somebody he would've been put in a permanent nap"

"Folks in this country are weaker/more pathetic than home, get used to it" Miya held her sword up. It gleamed. She smiled then put it back on her hip

"Hiro found me"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, I think he wanted me to come home"

"He gets around, he was supposed to be…" She stopped because Hikari gave her a glance that said be quiet. She picked up her knife from the grass. Holding it by its tip she threw it over Miya . Miya didn't hear it hit anything so she assumed it'd been caught. She stood then turned to see Neji holding the knife. He watched her then looked at Hikari

"I know why I've heard of you now" She tensed "We're supposed to get married"

"Shit" Miya mumbled

"So?" Hikari tried to cover her distress. She crossed her arms

"My Uncle also figured it out. He wants to talk with you"

"Fine but I want to make this known Neji that I don't want to get married to you or anyone at the moment. I AM going to find a way out of it"

"Be my guest" An amused look appeared on his face

* * *

"Hikari?" Naruto shouted "Miya?". He had returned to the apartment to find it empty. He took of his shoes then went to rummage thru the fridge. Not seeing anything he wanted he decided to go to his room and take a nap. Before he got to his room however he ended up going into Hikari's who was right before his. Her room was plain like his except on the nightstand there was a picture frame turned over. He walked over and picked it up. His breath caught in his throat. It was a picture of a much younger Hikari with a smiling younger Sasuke and a smirking Itachi. She and Sasuke were in the front while Itachi was behind them _How am I supposed to give up Sasuke like I want when his cousin is right here and probably wants him back as much as I do?_

"Cute picture, right?" Hikari stood in the doorway

"Sorry, I didn't mean to, well yeah I did"

"Its not a big deal"

"You wanna talk about it?"

"Not yet"

"I'll wait then"

"Might be waiting a long time"

"That's fine" Naruto put the frame back the way he found it

"Sakura and your other weird friend are back. I invited them over for dinner"

"What are we having?"

"Ramen"

* * *

"How was the mission Sakura?" Tsunade asked. It was lunch time and she hoped that Sakura would hurry up. Sai and Yamato stood on either side of her. They weren't giving her an official report, Sakura had said they'd found something important and wanted to talk to her about it. "Was the mission too difficult?"

"Not really" She fidgeted a bit. Tsunade was losing her already low patience

"Come on! Out with it! I have things to do"

"Sorry Hokage, its just that this may sound strange". Her sensei tapped her finger on the desk "When we made it to Suna, Gaara gave us a tour of some of the villages. While we were in one of the more revered/ancient ones we were followed"

"Did you tell Gaara?"

"Yes but he brushed it off at least that's how it seemed at first"

"Gaara knew what was going on but he was hiding something" Sai cut in

"Well who was following you?". Sakura hesitated then said

"Wolves". Tsunade looked at each face then burst into laughter

"We're serious Hokage" Yamato said "Wolves were following us in this village. Gaara knew but acted like he didn't"

"Alright, alright. It sounds crazy though" She calmed down "How do you know that Gaara knew?"

"Believe me Hokage. He's not stupid. While we were there he was tense the entire time like he was afraid"

"Well I'll look into it but Im sure its nothing"

"Thank you " Sakura said

"Now go on and get some rest" The three filed out "Followed by wolves" She pulled out the book she'd been reading the previous night. The truth was she though she had laughed, she had received a similar report from a team who had been near the same village only a few weeks before. They also had seen wolves following them. Something was going on and she was going to find out what.


	5. Chapter 5

Naruto kept running. The rain continued to come down but he kept running, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, following her. He finally caught up with her in front of an old abandoned house. She didn't face him. He tried to catch his breath. Normally running like that wouldn't have tired him out but he was still weak from whatever it was that was bothering the fox. He had been in Tsunade's office when she'd gotten a call from someone claiming to have seen a figure on a roof across from their house. Since Naruto had been the only shinobi around at the time he had been sent to see what was going on. Tsunade hadn't thought it anything serious which in that case she had been wrong. It was very serious.

"Why do you chase me?" The woman finally asked. She wore her hair in a bun and a light blue kimono with long sleeves that touched the ground. Naruto hadn't seen her face but he guessed she wore a mask like Sakura had described.

"Why did you run?" He answered. She didn't say anything "Who are you? And why are you killing innocent people?"

"Innocent?!" She gave a quiet laugh "Boy you don't understand so don't interfere"

"You were gonna kill someone tonight if I hadn't showed up". She turned around

"You couldn't stop me if you tried" She said in a dangerously low voice. Though he couldn't see her face he could tell that she was getting angry so he continued

"Well if you're so great why are you talking to me then? You could've been gone" Before he had time to breath, a strong wind came then began to flow around him lifting him slightly off the ground. He wasn't expecting that. He didn't know what to do. The woman walked slowly over to him.

"You have no idea of what you're getting into but since you're so curious then go look closer at my 'victims'". She snapped her fingers. The wind disappeared, dropping Naruto on his butt. When he looked up she was gone.

The next morning found Naruto banging on a certain pink haired young woman's door. A sleepy looking Sakura opened it then yawned

"Naruto its Friday and I have no missions so why are you here this early?"

"Early? Its eight"

"My point exactly"

"Sorry" He gave a genuine smile "I just wanted to know if you'd come with me somewhere" She raised an eyebrow "I want to check a few things out. I'll explain on the way" She sighed then opened the door further, allowing him to come in.

"Did you ask Sai too?"

"I knocked but he didn't answer so I went through the window and almost got my throat cut"

"Naruto you know he's not a morning person"

"Yeah, guess I forgot. He said to come back in an hour"

"This is great, instead of spending my weekend relaxing I'm going with you to who knows where" She threw her arms up in exasperation then walked down the hall to get dressed.

They had just picked up Sai who still looked half sleep and were now sitting at the ramen stand.

"I don't do ramen for breakfast" Sai mumbled then rested his head on the counter

"I wanted to explain everything before we started" Naruto had ordered a bowl

"That would be nice" Sakura yawned again

"You know those people who were killed by that woman?"

"Yeah"

"I want to look deeper into their backgrounds"

"What? Why?"

"I saw her last night" His ramen was set in front of him

"You saw her? She's here?!" . Naruto nodded

"I chased her across the village, she laughed when I said her victims were innocent then said to look closer at them"

"Naruto…did you tell Master Tsunade?" He nodded again. "She thinks it's a trick but she wasn't there last night" He paused then said "And she's able to control the wind"

"Where did that come from?"

"She used the wind to lift me off the ground then snapped her fingers for it to drop me"

"It was probably some type of jutsu" Sai mumbled

"No, she didn't make any hand signs"

"This gets weirder and weirder, what exactly do you want to do?"

"The guy who lived closest to here came from a village only a couple of hours away. We can be back by tonight. That other guy who was found outside Konoha was from further away" He said through a mouth full of food

"Alright, fine. Sai?"

"Whatever"

"Ok we leave after you finish. And where's Hikari? You could've asked her to do this. You've been living with her for a few weeks now"

"Avoiding Neji or any of his family". Sakura laughed

"I cant believe they have to get married"

"Not funny" Hikari popped up next to her and took a seat.

"Awwww, can I be in the wedding?" she kept laughing

"Go ahead and get it out but I AM NOT marrying him!"

"Why don't you just say no" Sai finally sat up but still had a sleepy look to him.

"I would if I could smart ass" Hikari growled. Naruto almost choked by how much she looked like Sasuke when she was pissed. Of course he was the only one who knew they were cousins so he kept the comment to himself

"They're trying to make me into a perfect wife. Like right now for instance I'm supposed to be learning how to sew and cook from Mrs. Hyuga. All her husband did was get on the phone and call my grandmother who said I was to listen as well as respect them"

"You don't have to" Sai answered

"Ha! Yes I do. When my grandmother says to do something you do it even if its to jump off a bridge"

"She has that much authority?" Sakura asked "What about your parents?"

"They listen to what she says even if they don't like it" She groaned then dropped her head on the counter

"Sucks for you then" Sai had changed his mind and was preparing to eat a bowl of ramen. Hikari gave him another cold look that Naruto thought was classic Sasuke then without another word she got up walked past him to Sai, picked up his bowl then dumped it on his head. She smiled then walked away leaving the three friends shocked until Sakura and Naruto started laughing.

"Shizune you have to read this!" Tsunade exclaimed. The two had managed to escape the office and were sitting at a small tea shop. Tsunade had brought the book she'd been reading with her.

"You know the stuff in there has never been proven" Shizune sipped her tea

"I'm not stupid but its so interesting. For instance, theres a part in here that talks about the beginnings of those demons. It says they were created to wage war. And there are many ancient clans that have some kind of animal as its symbol. It says that these clans make sure the demons don't become too powerful. They monitor them" Tsunade continued to read

"That's nice and all but Hokage the existence of these clans has never been proven"

"Yes but have you ever noticed that when someone tries to prove it something happens. Remember that group who went to find that clan whose symbol was the tiger? They never made it half way because something attacked them in the night"

"Who could forget that, they swore they were followed by tigers. They were the laughingstock of the whole village" Shizune smiled at the memory

"Followed by tigers…followed by wolves" Tsunade looked up suddenly

"What is it?"

"That team I sent out claimed to be followed by wolves, so did Yamato's" Shizune raised an eyebrow "But it was only in a certain area, the same as that other group. They saw the tigers when they got to a certain area"

"Coincidence"

"I've been around too long to think that. Gaara I'm sure knows what's going on"

"He'd never say. The Wind Country is very secretive when it comes to certain things"

"Exactly. One of these legendary clans could possibly live there and he's hiding it"

"This seems so ridiculous" Shizune shook her head "Lady Tsunade maybe we both need more sleep"

"I'm going to send a team to Suna, not to necessarily find out anything but to observe"

"Naruto would love that trip"

"I know but he needs to rest so I'm going to send Guy's team along with Hikari"

"What? Why her? Shouldn't she be with Naruto since we still cant find Master Jiraiya?"

"She knows Gaara and will be able to tell if something's wrong with him" Tsunade saw the expression on Shizune's face so without waiting for the question to come out she said "Gaara's sister trained under Hikari's mother"

"Temari?"

"Who else?" She rolled her eyes "Anyway go get me Guy's team. Tell them to be in my office in one hour"

"Alright Hokage" Shizune finished her tea then got up leaving Tsunade to read her book

Hikari couldn't believe her day. Besides having to do sewing and cooking lessons she was now being forced to go to Suna. They had been traveling for only fifteen miutes yet she could sense that TenTen didn't like her. Hikari guessed it had something to do with her marrying Neji. The two of them were walking pretty close. She adjusted the bag on her back. Lee and Guy were wrapped up in their own conversation while TenTen and Neji walked together. She trailed behind the group deciding if she should trip TenTen for every snotty glance she gave her _And Miya thinks I'm immature…she's always saying I don't act my age_. She smirked when she remembered Naruto finally figuring out she wasn't twenty-five but only a few months older than him. She had lied because she didn't want anyone to figure out whose relative she was, especially the older people who actually remembered her family. A woman had come up to her once and asked if she was distantly related to the Uchiha's by chance. When Hikari had said no the woman apologized and said she had mistaken her for someone else and mentioned Hikari was too old to be the person anyway when she found out her 'age'. Hikari ran into Neji who had stopped suddenly.

"Whats wrong?" TenTen asked. He didn't answer. Guy was also silent so Hikari tried to figure out what the big deal was when someone came behind and pushed her. She would've fallen over if Neji hadn't been in front of her. He caught her and helped her stay balanced. Hikari turned around to see the person she hated most, Akane Tora. The said young woman stood with her hands on her hips and a big smile on her face. She was a few inches taller than Hikari with long dark hair that had reddish orange highlights. She was pale and wore a short, brown yukata with heels that showed off her legs.

"Well, well, well if it isn't Hikari Okami. How are you by the way?" She had plenty of confidence. Hikari returned the smile

"I'm ok, how are you? You look great, which must mean you didn't get the poisonous apples I sent you" The two stared each other down.

"No I didn't. You look well for someone who fell off a cliff"

"It wasn't high enough" They'd never gotten along. Akane was one of Hikari's major tormentors when she was growing up. Neji glanced from both girls. Akane's family was rich and powerful and very respected. He didn't want to cause any trouble. For the first time he noticed the shinobi that surrounded her. There were five of them.

" Hikari you're being rude. You didn't introduce me to your friends"

"I am Rock Lee" He was too caught up in how beautiful Akane was. Guy introduced himself then the other two

"So you're Neji? I've heard about you" She grinned. TenTen's eyebrow twitched "When you're ready to get with a real woman don't be afraid to stop by my home. I have one in Konoha". Neji blushed slightly.

"You finished yet?" Hikari crossed her arms and tapped her foot

"I suppose. Though if you're headed home you should tell that wonderful mother of yours…"

"Shut up" Hikari growled

"That I hope she feels better" She gave a short laugh

"I said shut up!" In an instant Hikari had grabbed a kunai from TenTen and held it at Akane's throat. Akane had also moved fast and held a long knife to Hikari's . There was silence as the tension grew.

"Ladies, you should both calm down" Guy was about to move when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. The ninja shook his head

"They are two of the best fighters I've ever seen. You cant stop them"

"Hikari? A great fighter?" The sarcasm in TenTen's voice was apparent

"You don't have to believe me, you've never seen them fight". The silence hung for several more minutes then the two slowly backed away, withdrawing their weapons

"Seriously, though I cant stand you I wouldn't wish anything bad on your family" Akane's face softened for only a second. A look of understanding passed between them but as quickly as it appeared it was gone. "Lets go" She and her ninjas disappeared.

"Ummm…what was that about?" TenTen asked. Hikari ignored the question; she picked up her bag and continued walking. Neji caught up with her. They walked in silence for a few minutes then he said

"Do you usually run into her like that?"

"Depends. She likes to train a lot. I'm guessing that's what she was doing". Seeing TenTen getting ready to ask a question, Neji shook his head but she didn't notice or acted like she hadnt. For some reason he got the feeling that she didn't really like Hikari

"Why'd that comment about your mother make you so mad? Did something bad happen to her like twisting her ankle?" She asked sarcasm evident once again. One minute TenTen was walking, the next she was being held by her throat against a tree. Hikari dripped with anger. Her hand closed around her target's throat.

"Stop!" Lee shouted "She did not mean it Hikari! Let her go!". Guy gave Neji a look who nodded. He wrapped his hand around Hikari's wrist and said

"Let…her…go". Though he said it quietly, Hikari could sense the warning in his voice. She dropped TenTen. Lee ran over to her, kneeling down to make sure she was ok. Hikari took a few steps back. She mumbled

"Sorry" Then ran off into the forest.

"Neji go after her. Lee and I will take care of TenTen. She will be after all your wife" Guy said. His student sighed then disappeared.

* * *

Meanwhile Naruto and his friends had arrived at the small village where one of the victim's came from. It was small and quiet. As they walked they passed by a farm and a few smaller houses. They stopped in what seemed to be the middle of town.

"Where do we start?" Sakura looked around the area, taking in her surroundings.

"I have no idea" Naruto answered

"What?!" Sakura hit him on the head "You drag us all the way here with no plan?!" Her screaming got the attention of the few villagers who were milling about.

"Well I was gonna think of one on the way but I started thinking about ramen because I'm hungry" He gave one of his sheepish grins. Sai rolled his eyes. Sakura continued to scream at Naruto. While this was going on an older woman using a cane walked up to Sai

"Excuse me young man but I noticed the three of you are visitors here and you seem lost. Is there anything I can help you with?".

"I don't think so. My dumb friend over there…" He pointed to Naruto who was being hit by a raging Sakura "Woke up myself and the girl early to help him with something. We finally get here and he has no idea of where to start".

"Well why did you come here? There's not much to do in my village?". Now Naruto was arguing with Sakura which was only making her madder.

"I don't know, he kept babbling about this woman who kills people" . The older woman stood silent at this

"What do you want with her?" she finally asked

"Like I said, I have no clue. One of her victims was from here. My friend wanted to find out more". The woman grew angry

"You leave her alone! You're just like that brat and his team who tried to protect Kaito!"  
"Who's that?" Sai asked

"One of the 'victims'. Another team came through here that night. He ran to them for help but they couldn't protect him and I hear that their leader was that Uchiha brat!" That got Naruto and Sakura's attention "Get out of our village!" She walked as fast as she possibly could. Sakura noticed the other villagers had disappeared too

"Sai what did you say to make her so mad?" . He shrugged.

"No one's gonna talk now, we should go" Naruto ran a hand through his hair wondering what Sasuke was doing here that night.

* * *

Hikari sat with her back against a tree, her knees pulled up and arms around them. Her bag was a few feet away. Neji dropped his next to hers then walked over. He didn't sit but stood above her

"You could've killed TenTen". She didn't answer "Your silence isn't going to make me go away"

"Then next time make sure your girlfriend watches her mouth" She growled. He couldn't place it but the way she was acting reminded him of someone.

"Yes she could've been more careful but you still didn't have to choke her". There was another pause before she said

"My mother is dying"

"I'm sorry"

"Yeah everyone is" She rolled her eyes. Neji sat down, also leaning against the tree "Dont get comfortable, I'm not saying anything else about it"

"You don't have to. When Akane said it…"

"She didn't mean it. Believe me, she can be a bitch at times but she's never taken shots at my family nor have I done that to her. Shouldn't you be going to check on Miss Sarcastic?" She asked referring to TenTen

"She's fine" They sat in more silence "If it matters I think you'll make a good wife"

"Yeah, well I pretty much was just gonna make your life a living hell. At least that was the plan before"

"Now?" He smiled

"I'll go easier on you" She rested her head on her knees "She was poisoned by an assassin. Instead of killing her within an hour or two however its been in her system for a year. It cuts off her charka flow and is slowly destroying her organs" She held back a tear "I left to find someone for her before she…you know…dies". Neji grabbed her hand "I don't want sympathy or pity"

"Fine" He still held it

"Neji, Hikari!" Lee ran up to them. Hikari quickly pulled her hand away "The Hokage sent us a message. She wants us back!"

* * *

Naruto, Sakura and Sai walked slowly out of the village, confused. None understood the old woman's reaction nor the reason for it. Naruto turned his head up to watch the clouds as he walked.

"What do you think her problem was?" Sakura finally asked

"Probably crazy" Sai answered since Naruto seemed to not want to talk

"And I wonder why he was there" She didn't need to say his name. She didn't want to. All three contemplated this when they heard what sounded like a whisper. They stopped, suspecting a trap. Instead out of a bush on the side popped a young boy who didn't appear older than twelve.

"You guys are real shinobi, aren't you?" They exchanged glances then Sakura answered

"Yes"

"Wow!" His eyes got big "I've always wanted to meet one, now I've met three" He grinned. They relaxed

"What do you want?" Sai asked

"I was gonna invite you to my house, it's only a few more minutes from here" He pointed inside the village. Naruto frowned

"We're not wanted in there"

"Don't worry about old lady Keiko. She scares all the visitors" He gave another grin then motioned for them to follow . After a slight hesitation Naruto started walking. The others trailed after him. After walking past a few houses the boy stopped in front of a small, brown one. He opened the door then waited for them to walk in. After entering they took in the house. It was small and old. The room that they stood in had a small couch and table but nothing else. The boy didn't seem to care. Taking off his shoes he invited them to sit down then ran down a hall. Sakura and Sai sat on the couch. Naruto leaned against the wall. The boy returned with some sweets which Sakura gladly accepted. He brought another chair into the room then sat across from the couch.

"So whats your name?" Sakura asked

"Akio, whats yours?" He swung his legs back and forth

"Im Sakura, the one next to me is Sai and the one next to us on the wall is Naruto"

"You live here by yourself?" Sai asked

"I don't really live here. My parents are farmers. They send me up here with veggies and stuff to sell during the day then I go home. I stay here during that time" Sai nodded "That old lady usually doesn't get mad like that, what did you guys say to her?"

"Nosy aren't we" Naruto mumbled. Sakura threw him a mean glance then said

"We only wanted to know about that woman who wears a mask. One of the people she killed was from here". The boy paled. His legs stopped swinging.

"You guys are after her" It was more a statement then a question. Sakura sensed the anger that was creeping in him.

"Hey don't start getting angry. She's a murderer. There have been three that we know of. Who knows how many more she's killed"

"SHES NOT A MURDERER! SHE"S A HERO! "Akio shouted, standing up

"No shes not. How do you call someone a hero who kills like that?" Naruto straightened up. He sensed there was something the boy knew that they didn't.

"SHUT UP!" Tears started to come down his face "You don't know what she did for me, for my family!"

"Then explain because I'm getting sick of being left in the dark"

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped

"I'm right. If she's so great why does she run? Why cant our Hokage at least be let in on whats going on? Whats she got to hide?" Naruto had walked up to the boy. He had no intention of making him cry but for some reason he sensed he'd never get the answer he was looking for if he didn't push a few buttons, he didn't have any compassion for a woman who killed like she did. Tsunade had explained to him that the poisons she used were designed to work slowly, causing the victims to die a slow, painful death. He knelt down in front of the boy.

"Akio whats going on?". He rubbed his tears away.

"She's protecting us" He said softly

"What do you mean?"

"That man ,Kaito, was harassing my parents about a debt they owed" he stopped crying but didn't look at Naruto "My Dad tried to explain. He asked for a little more time but Kaito wouldn't. He came to our home several times with big guys who were supposed to scare us. My Mom is really pretty, so he decided that he'd forgive the debt if my Mom stayed with him for a night" Sakura clenched her fists "That night she was supposed to go she put on a brave face, tried to make me feel better but it didn't work. My Dad pleaded with her to stay home and that he'd come up with another way but all of us knew there was no other way. So she went. She same back the next day not the same. Kaito wasn't satisfied with one night, he wanted more. Dad knew my Mom couldn't go through one more hour with him. He tried but in the end it didn't matter. Those men beat my Dad up bad. Mom left. I followed this time, thinking that maybe I could come up with a plan. We were on the outskirts of the village when She showed up" He smiled "She said that she had warned Kaito and because he'd ignored her warning he was going to pay. He screamed like a girl then ran. His men had been paralyzed by something so they couldn't move. She told my Mom to go home and take her son with her. She knew I'd been there the whole time. She gave my Mom a small bag which turned out to be filled with money then went after Kaito. That's why Ms. Keiko and me got so mad. She saved my family" He locked eyes with Naruto "That's why she's not a murderer. She's a hero, my hero".

* * *

"Lady Tsunade why'd you call them back?" Shizune asked. The two were walking through Konoha. It had been a fairly easy day which was rare for Tsunade. A gentle breeze blew. Tsunande heard birds chirping. She saw the smiling faces of the villagers she was to protect

"Aktsuki is mobilizing" That simple statement sent chills down Shizune's spine. For almost a year they had heard nothing of the group. They had been able to obtain all the tailed demons except one, the fox.

"How do you know?"

"Jiraiya, seems he hasn't fallen off the face off the earth after all. He sent me a message. Akatsuki is finally ready to move. He said an attack should be expected and prepared for. I need every shinobi available"

"Did he mention anything about Naruto?"

"He said he had other things to attend to but Hikari should be able to handle it"

"Wow, that's interesting" Shizune wondered what could be more important than sealing completely the fox.

"Yes it is considering I never told him about her" Shizune's mouth dropped open slightly

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I have no clue of what he's up to but it better be good"


	6. Chapter 6

Sasuke stood in the small town. His team had no idea as to why they were there. He had simply told them there was a change of plans. Karin noted that the town was a nice size and the way everyone acted it seemed they all knew each other which meant they'd be spotted as outsiders quickly. She got the sense that they were being followed but since Sasuke hadn't said anything about it she didn't want to bring it up yet. They had stopped in front of a house. After walking through the village for an hour he finally allowed them to rest in a grassy area where kids were running around

"It doesn't seem like there are any shinobi here" Suigetsu stated, removing his sword then stretching his arms.

"I like it, its so peaceful and quiet" Karin said dreamily

"Girls" He mumbled.

"Am I the only one who sensed we were followed?" Jugo asked. The other two looked at each other

"No" They said at the same time

"You sensed it too?" She asked Suigetsu

"Yeah but I didn't want to say anything if you guys hadn't. I didn't wanna seem like I was crazy" They nodded in agreement

"What about you Sasuke?" Jugo asked

"We were" He was still scanning the area. Two young women were sitting not too far from them. From lack of nothing to do Karin decided to eavesdrop.

"I know but I'm sure they'll find her" A woman wearing lots of jewelry was saying "She always was a free spirit Ami"

"But Kana, she ran away so she wouldn't have to get married" Her friend answered while munching on some candy

"I doubt it, have you seen how protective her father, brother and even her older sister are of her? There's no way she's going through with that marriage. They wont allow it" She snorted "I wonder of all people why a Leaf shinobi was picked? My five year old daughter is stronger than five of their best" They both laughed.

"Well why do you think she left then?"

"Honestly Ami, I think there's a bit more going on with her than everyone suspects"

"Really?"

"Yep, enjoy our conversation?" Kana turned to Karin who immediately blushed in embarrassment "Its obvious you're outsiders so I'll give you to the count of three to get away from me, preferably out of the village" She rose, glaring at them. Her friend got up too. Neither had weapons at, least that were noticeable.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to" She said

"Yeah ya did" Ami rolled her eyes

"Alright fine but I'm not backing down from you two"

"Karin" Jugo warned

"Lets dance" Kana prepared to strike when a voice said

"Ladies, ladies whats going on?" A young man walked casually over to the group. He looked half sleep. His dark eyes going from one group to the other.

"They started it!" Kana shouted then crossed her arms

"I highly doubt it since you love to cause fights" He yawned "Anyway why don't you ladies go find something/someone else to harass"

"Fine, by the way how's your mother?". He put on a fake smile

"Great, she'll be better in no time" Reassured by his smile they said bye then walked away "My advice to you is to not piss off any of the locals especially since many don't like visitors" He put his hands in his pockets and started to leave. Karin thought he reminded her of a person she knew then glancing back to Sasuke, who was watching the young man, she made the connection.

"Hiro" Sasuke said

"Yeah?" He turned around "Who called me?". Karin motioned to Sasuke "How do you know my name?" He ran a hand through his already ruffled hair then yawned again.

"I…you're …" Sasuke frowned. He usually wasn't tongue tied but this was different. His teammates noticed it too

"What?" Hiro asked. Since her leader couldn't get the words out, Karin decided to help him along

"You ok Sasuke?" Sensing that the two knew each other she thought it'd be a good idea to say his name

"Sasuke?" Hiro asked "Uchiha?" He raised an eyebrow. Sasuke nodded. "Stop fuckin with me" Hiro's eyes began to change to a gray color "The Sasuke Uchiha I knew was killed several years ago by my cousin so you couldn't be him" He was becoming visibly angry.

"I wasn't killed, he thought I wasn't worth it" He took a step forward.

"Prove it" His voice had lowered

"Your favorite color is blue though it used to change because Hikari would always copy you, making your favorite hers" He took another step

"Move again and I'll kill you" By now a large group had silently gathered to watch, surprised that anyone could make their usually hard to anger Hiro upset.

"You used to call me 'little cousin'" He moved again "You…almost died from a kind of virus when we were younger" The crowd gasped. Not many people knew that about him since then entire time he was sick he had spent it at the Uchiha house. He had been sick for almost a month. During his time there Sasuke would sleep on the floor of his room each night though there was a chance he could get sick too. As the memories came back Hiro relaxed. His eyes were watery

"It IS you Sasuke!" He grinned then threw his arms around his cousin. For the first time Karin could remember she saw her team leader give a slight smile.

* * *

Hikari woke up with a headache. She rolled over and looked at her clock. It read 10:00am. She groaned then got out of bed. She had things to do. After getting dressed she peaked into Naruto's room, he was still sleep. She crept back to her room, grabbing a large bag from her closet then walked down the hall and out the door. As she walked, Akane came up beside her. She wore another short yukata.

"Like to show off your legs much?" Hikari asked

"I cant help it if I was born with these. You were born with that but you don't use it" she pointed to Hikari's chest then started laughing. The other rolled her eyes then walked faster.

"Miya leave?"

"Last night" Hikari's roommate had said she had things to take care of so she had packed her bags and headed out. Naruto had been a little sad since he had started getting used to her. "What were you doing in the forest?"

"My tigers. One had run off. You know you're wolves have been acting funny lately too"

"So I've heard"

"I think they sense something. Shouldn't you be at the Hyuga place?"

"They'll live"

"I'd love to marry someone like Neji. You're not in the least bit excited?" She stopped walking then faced Akane

"I honestly could care less if I marry him or not. Some things are more important" For the first time Akane noticed what part of town they were in. It wasn't as nice looking as the rest of the village. She saw the people who lived in the old houses. Their clothes were dirty. Many had no shoes. It was a part of town that was avoided. A little girl carrying a stuffed bear with one eye ran up to them

"Lady Hikari! You're finally here!" Hikari smiled, dropped her bag then picked the girl up. Akane sighed

"You know that's your problem, you care too much."

"If I don't then who else will?".

"Fine Okami, do what you want. By the way that blonde guy's been following you" With a wave to the little girl, Akane Tora left.

Naruto sat cross legged on the ground watching the kids chase each other. The parents and other adults talked. Hikari had brought a bag full of toys for them. Since Naruto had been living with her he'd notice how she would disappear for hours then come back but wouldn't say where she had gone. He had asked Miya about it but she hadnt seem to notice or care. Hikari came out of a house and sat next to him.

"We're invited for lunch"

"That's great because I'm starving!" At that moment his stomach decided to growl. He grinned "So when can we eat?"

"Another hour"

"But I'm hungry" He felt a drop of water hit his head "Cut it out Hikari"

"I didn't do anything" Both looked up to see the sky had darkened and fat raindrops were starting to come down. Naruto jumped up, holding a hand out to Hikari. They were on their way inside when he heard

"ARGH!" He turned to see her face covered in mud. Three kids were laughing not too far from her. "You little brats!" She grabbed a handful of mud and threw it back except it didn't hit the boy who got her. Instead he dodged it and it hit his friend who grabbed more mud and aimed it at Hikari who ducked causing Naruto to get hit. That was all it took for an all out mud war. All the kids who'd gone inside came back out. All of them chasing Naruto, who dodged most of their attacks laughing the whole time. Hikari had wiped the mud off her and was now watching from inside the house of the little girl, Miyuki Nousagi, from earlier. Miyuki had her face to the window. Her light blonde hair in two ponytails that she'd tug from time to time. Her mother's humming could be heard from the kitchen where she was preparing lunch.

"How long have you known him Hikari? You've never talked about him before when you were over"

"Around a month or so"

"He's funny, I like him" Her pet rabbit hopped around the room. "Where's Icee?"

"No idea, he does whatever he feels like"

"Shadow misses him" She said referring to her black rabbit.

"He'll probably be here later to scare me as usual". Miyuki sat down to play with Shadow. Though she was only ten she could be unusually mature for her age.

"Lunch is ready" Mrs. Nousagi said entering the room. Her hair was in a messy bun and an apron covered her kimono. Her cheeks were flushed from cooking. Though she had lost her husband a few months before, she always smiled. Naruto burst into the room covered in mud and with a big grin on his face

"Can we eat?". Hikari frowned.

Ten minutes later Naruto was wearing an old yukata that Mrs. Nousagi had found, Hikari was sure it had been her husband's, and was stuffing his face with rice and fish.

"This is really good!" He said. Mrs. N poured everyone a cup of tea then sat across from Naruto.

"Thank you Mrs. Nousagi." Hikari sipped hers

"Your welcome"

"How long will you stay?" Miyuki asked as she slyly tried to give Shadow some of her carrots.

"Please don't leave until the rain stops. I don't want you two to get soaked" Her mother added "And I'm washing Naruto's clothes"

"That's' fine" Miyuki watched fascinated as Naruto ate. Whenever he caught her watching him, he'd smile then she'd blush and look away. _She obviously has a crush on him but I don't see how. He eats like a pig_ She thought as she gave him another disgusted glance. Suddenly Icee appeared next to her, begging. She sighed , giving him some fish.

"How do you get used to that wolf appearing like that?" Mrs. N asked

"I don't" Icee finished his fish then started to play with Shadow. Ordinary people would have found this strange, Naruto would've if he had been paying attention but as the three ladies knew, their 'pets' weren't exactly normal. After everyone finished Naruto went into the next room, sitting against the wall. He was almost asleep when Hikari knelt next to him

"You know Mrs. N has an extra bedroom"

"I'm ok" He mumbled. She shrugged her shoulders and was getting ready to rise when he grabbed her elbow "Why do you come down here?" His blue eyes searched her dark brown ones

"Because they need someone. Down here they're forgotten, outcasts of Konoha. No one else cares. Many of them lost everything during that war or whatever it was called. They haven't bounced back yet" She knelt on both knees " I try to bring some kind of happiness, if only for a few hours"

"Everyday this is where you were?" She nodded "Hikari…" His eyes close before he could finish. Miyuki walked up and put a blanket over him. Hikari put his hand next to him.

"How will you do it Hikari?" Mrs. Nousagi walked up and put an arm around her daughters shoulder. "The fox grows more powerful each day while Naruto grows weak" Hikari stood. Sealing him wont have the same affect as it did before". Hikari had never talked of Naruto to Miyuki but she had many times to her mother.

"Separating them is the only thing I can think of but that could kill him considering the frail state that he's in" Hikari knew that Naruto was weaker though he never said anything about it. She'd grown too attached to him.

"Well whatever you decide, I have faith that it'll work"

"Why did the other clans put so much of that in me?" She mumbled.

A couple hours later found it still raining. Miyuki was sleep in her room, Mrs. Nousagi was cleaning and Hikari had sat next to Naruto. She pulled the blanket over herself then rested her head against the wall

"Still raining?" He asked

"Yep"

"Good, I didn't feel like leaving yet" A bit of silence fell between them

"He used to watch out for me, always making sure I was ok" Naruto didn't have to ask to know who she was talking about "When people saw us together they swore we were siblings"

"Your personalities are completely different though. He was cold and never smiled when I met him, yours seems a bit more complicated than I first thought"

"Complicated? How?"

"Honestly I thought you were Sasuke in the girl version but I was sorta wrong. There's different sides to you"

"You have no idea" She muttered "How close were you guys?" Hikari had heard how Naruto and Sasuke had been best friends, she'd heard how Sasuke had left, she'd heard many things but it was different to hear it from the actual source.

"Thought we were best friends, it had been me, him and Sakura" He kept his eyes closed, as if remembering "We got into some horrible fights"

"I heard he joined some guy named Orochimaru"

"Yeah, that freak gave him a curse seal. We could've helped him if he'd stayed"

"Some people don't want to be helped" She said

"Actually for a while they were my only friends. Things change I guess"

"Why do you think he left?"

"The seal"

"Come on Naruto, I've heard different things but it seems to boil down to one"

"I was becoming stronger" He whispered

"So basically he ruined his friendships and all that because of jealousy"

"I'm sure it wasn't just that"

"Well it probably was a big part of it. You were some crazy kid with a demon fox inside of you and he was the hotshot heir to a great clan. It was expected that he'd be the better shinobi, not you"

"Hikari you're not being fair, besides he's YOUR cousin"

"Right now I feel like I know you much better than him" She whispered "He isn't the same Sasuke I grew up with" She leaned her head on his shoulder "Hinata said he almost killed you and Sakura"

"Hinata?"

"She always manages to find me when I'm hiding out from her mom at their house. You'd be surprised at how much she hates him. You know Blu if it ever comes down to it I could separate you from the fox"

"Completely?"

"Completely but there's a chance you might not survive the process"

"What would you do with it?" He didn't want the monster roaming free, he'd rather it be contained in his body if it meant lives could be saved.

"Don't worry about that, he wouldn't cause problems anymore"

"That might be the only solution…" He opened his eyes and sat up a little.

"What's wrong?". He didn't answer. Instead he jumped up, stopping at the door to say "I'll be right back" Then was gone. It was still raining. He hated it but he kept walking until he finally saw him. Sasuke stood down the street. He had been talking to three people but they left. Sasuke noticed his presence. He smirked.

This wasn't how he'd wanted things to go. Hiro had told him that Hikari was in Konoha, he even gave him the part of town she was most likely to be in. He wanted to see his cousin not Naruto who stood a few feet away with a wave of emotions showing on his face. The only sound that could be heard was that of the rain hitting the ground. Finally Sasuke said

"Are you gonna move or not?"

"What are you doing here?" Naruto growled. Another pause.

"None of your business. Don't worry, I haven't come to kill you"

"Get out" _How'd he get in here anyway? There's no shortage of guards on the wall. But this is the 'genius' Uchiha. I wish I could wipe that smirk off his face._ Sasuke took one step.

"Naruto" It was a warning. His eyes had become red with the Sharigan. Naruto stayed where he was though he knew he wasn't in the condition to fight. "Fine, this is your choice" He pulled out his sword and ran towards Naruto who was bracing himself but the attack never came. Through the rain he could see Hikari standing between them. She had stopped the blade with one hand. He couldn't see her face but the way Sasuke was looking told him everything. She pushed him back.

"Hikari…" Sasuke put his sword away

"You're a great friend Sasuke, I wish I knew more people like you" Naruto could tell she was pissed.

"You know him" It was more a statement than a question. Hiro had told him that Hikari had befriended some crazy looking blonde guy.

"So do you, you wanna try that move again on me?" She placed a hand on her hip.

"I don't want to fight you"

"Actually I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be much of one" She smiled "But then you already know that". Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He answered back but Naruto wasn't paying attention anymore. A horrible pain was coursing through him

"**I need to be free!" **The fox growled

"This is your fault!"

"**No it's the woman's! She will kill me, I wont allow that to happen!" **The fox let loose a deafening roar.

"AHHHHHH!" Naruto screamed then collapsed in the mud.

"Shit!" Hikari turned him on his back "Naruto stay with me"

"It hurts so bad" He screamed again

"I know but hang on!" Icee appeared next to her "Get Tsunade" He was gone again "Sasuke, despite what everyone thinks I don't fully believe that you want the guy who was your best friend dead other wise he wouldn't be here now" He hesitated for only a second but then walked over

"What do you want me to do?" He knelt next to her.

* * *

Sasuke watched Naruto sleep. He was hooked up to a breathing machine. He'd never imagined he'd see him like that.

"_Carry him to the hospital!" Hikari had shouted_

"_They'll probably try to kill me"_

"_Less worry, more movin!" She jumped up "I have to go get Tsunade"_

"_Right here" The Hokage appeared in front of them. She looked at Sasuke then Naruto then Sasuke again "What did you do?" Anger flashed in her eyes_

"_It's the fox, he needs to be at the hospital. Sasuke why are you still here?". He rolled his eyes then picked up his former teammate who was mumbling incoherently and raced off. After Naruto had been placed in a room Hikari had ordered him to stay with him_

"_That lunatic of yours is on the prowl and I can imagine him and his team taking advantage of the situation" They stood in the hall outside the room_

"_Do I have a choice?"_

"_Hell no, you asked what you could do. Here's your answer. Don't let anything happen to him" She poked him in the chest "By the way I still love you Sasuke, even if you are a almost murdering traitor to your village and friends" With that she walked away. He allowed a smile._

"Has he awakened at all?" A quiet, cold voice asked

"No". Hinata walked to Naruto's bedside, putting her hand on his forehead. She along with many of the people Sasuke had known, were giving him the cold shoulder. Kiba hadn't said anything to him when he and Shino had come earlier. Usually energetic Lee had tried being polite but Sasuke had been able to tell it was forced. Neji had given him a cold glare, TenTen had avoided the room completely. Ino had brought flowers but didn't speak a single word to him, like Kiba. Even Sakura hadn't much to say and had seemed a little upset when Tsunade had told her that Sasuke would be watching over Naruto. He hadn't expected a warm reception. Yelling could be heard from the hallway.

"Hikari…" Naruto's eyes started to open

"Naruto!" . He realized he was wearing a breathing mask and pulled it from his mouth. He sat up a little

"Hinata whats going on?"

"We were so worried! How do you feel?"

"Hungry"

"I'll get you some ramen" She turned to Sasuke "Is there anything you'd like Uchiha-san?" She was faking politeness

"No thanks". When she had gone Naruto asked

"Who's that yelling?"

"Hikari and Tsunade"

"About what?"

"Hikari wants to remove the fox but Tsunade doesn't"

"LOOK YOU OLD BAT HE"LL BE FINE!"

"WHAT?! WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"

"YOU HEARD ME THE FIRST TIME!". Naruto groaned. Their yelling was what had woken him up in the first place

"Why are you here?"

"Hikari asked me to stay"

"You're not gonna try and kill me?"

"Funny, but don't worry I'll be gone as soon as she says I can"

"That wont be anytime soon" Hikari burst into the room "I'll need your help to protect Naruto"

"Him protect me?! Is this a joke?" Naruto's eyes got big

"Nope, Akatsuki is around here. I know it. Sasuke will be with you when I'm not"

"Couldn't someone else do this?!"

"No one else is as good as he is besides I haven't seen him in years. You guys went through some shit, you can work it out later. You don't have to like each other but please at least be civil. Now I have to go find the old coot and talk to her" She was gone as fast as she had come.

"I'd rather be dealing with the Kyubbi" Naruto fell back on his bed. Sasuke didn't reply, this was the chance he'd get to kill Itachi once and for all.

It was getting late. The next morning Naruto would be allowed to leave. Hikari paced up and down the lobby thinking everything over. She could remove the fox or seal it in again. She and Tsunade hadn't reached an agreement yet. She rubbed the bridge of her nose thinking she was too young to be stressed out like she was.

"You should get some sleep" She looked up to see Neji in front of her. She thought she was imagining things but his eyes seemed filled with concern, she brushed it off thinking it was for Naruto.

"I'm ok, I'm worried about Naruto. That's all" She went to sit down. He followed

"Sasuke"

"Yeah, I finally met the guy that everyone hates" She gave a nervous laugh

"Why is he still here? Uzumaki wont say why"

"That's a good question, I could find out for you". Before he could answer TenTen, Hinata, Lee, Sakura and Sai emerged from the hall.

"Can you believe it Neji?" TenTen immediately asked "That Traitor is here and the Hokage hasn't done anything yet!" Apparently that was what they all had been discussing judging from their faces.

"All I know is that he better not try anything to Naruto" Hinata said then sat next to Hikari.

"Sakura what did Lady Hokage say when you asked why he was here?" She asked

"She shrugged. Said she wasn't worried about him"

"Not worried?! Not worried!" TenTen's voice rose "She realizes that this is the same guy who put you in the hospital for a couple of months right?"

"Maybe there is a good reason for her allowing him to stay" Lee stated

"There's no reason in the world good enough to allow him back here or even to be in the same room as Naruto. Did you know she's wants him to help protect him from Akatsuki? Uchiha Sauke protect the guy he almost murdered!"

"Who told you that?" Hikari asked

"She did herself. I asked why he was here and she told me"

"I wish he'd leave" Hinata whispered

"Why doesn't everyone relax since there's nothing we can do about it" Sai stretched

"I cant relax as long as he's here."

"We used to be friends but when I saw him I started shaking" Sakura rubbed her arm

"I wont let him hurt you again" Sai said

"Neither will I" Lee added "We will protect you Sakura"

"Thanks". Hikari wanted to defend her cousin but she couldn't. She didn't like what she was hearing about him. She couldn't believe that the same guy who used to defend her when they were little had turned into this.

"Whats wrong?" Neji whispered. The others were still talking

"Nothing, I'm gonna go home"

"I'll walk you"

"You don't have to"

"I want to". He got up and held a hand out for her. Before they could leave a silence fell over the group, she turned to see Sasuke leaning against the wall. His gaze fell on Neji and Hikari. She got ready to walk over to him but Neji grabbed her arm

"Uchiha what do you want?"

"Let go of her" Sasuke locked eyes with him. Hikari started to panic. She knew that look

"Why?" Neji raised an eyebrow. Hikari couldn't be mad at him, he was only trying to watch out for her. Sasuke's eyes turned red. He stood up straight.

"Last chance Hyuga". Neji pulled her behind him. TenTen and Lee stood on either side of their teammate.

"Calm down" Tsunade walked into the lobby

"Hokage why is he here really?" Sai asked

"That's my business, not yours. All of you need to go home" She put her hands on her hips. No one moved "Did you guys hear what I said? Neji I know you're trying to protect your future wife and all but…."

"Wife?!" Sasuke said

"Oops" She gave a sheepish grin

"What the hell? When did this happen?"

"Its none of your concern" Neji answered

"Yes it is" They were getting ready to come to blows when Hikari said

"Ok that's enough! Sasuke go back to Naruto's room" His Sharigan disappeared

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked

"I would've eventually"

"Whats going on?" Sakura squeaked "How do you two know each other?". Neither said anything for a minute

"Well…he's…sorta my cousin" She sighed. A collective gasp came from them. Hikari gave Tsunade a look that said 'you shouldve kept your mouth shut.'. Tsunade grinned then said

"Well, now that that's outta the way, who's hungry?"

* * *

Sakura sat in Hikari's apartment fiddling with her fingers, trying not to be nervous. It had been a week since Sasuke had come back. He was staying in Hikari's roommate's old room. Everyone was still trying to get used to he and Hikari as cousin's. Though they showed some resemblance to each other their personalities were entirely different. Sakura and Naruto sat at a small table, he staring off into space and she watching him. He seemed so down, at least when Hikari wasn't around much more so. She had her suspicions but she wasn't going to bring it up yet, Hinata had been having the same feeling but had advised her to wait.

"How's things with Sasuke?" She asked instead already knowing the answer. She knew they had been on thin ice ever since he came back. Neither spoke more than they had to to the other. Hikari didn't care if they got along or not, she only wanted them to put up with each other.

"Just perfect" He said in a flat tone. She also knew the whole situation was bothering him, hell it was bothering her. She couldn't be in the same room as her former friend and not shake. Unfortunately Naruto had seen her do it which made him all the angrier.

"Well Ino and me were going out for lunch, wanna come?"

"Sure, I need some air" At that moment Sasuke decided to return from wherever he had been. Sakura could sense the tension that filled the room. Naruto simply stood watching him. Sasuke glared back then started to walk away when Naruto said

"Why?". She had been dreading this. She knew eventually that there'd be confrontation.

"Why what?" He tilted his head.

"You know what I'm talking about but since you wanna play stupid, why did you leave?"

"Got bored I guess" He smirked. Naruto was becoming angrier.

"You bastard! I asked a simple question and you cant even give me an answer to it!"

"I don't have time for this Naruto" He narrowed his eyes

"Of course you don't but I'll leave you alone if you answer the question"

"You know why"

"Do I really? What could make someone turn on their friends, their village like you did? It couldn't have just been Itachi, we could've helped you. It couldn't have been Orochimaru, from what our spies told us you never really got along with him, so what was it then?". Sasuke didn't reply "Doesn't matter anyway does it? Because as soon as Hikari says yes, you're leaving again. After all you didn't come back here for us"

"Naruto you have no idea of what I've been through" He growled

"You, you, you! It always comes back to you" He rolled his eyes "Come on Sasuke, what about what we've been through. Everybody has problems; you're not the only one. The point is you didn't have to go through it by yourself"

"Why cant you just leave this alone?!"

"Because of all the time I wasted going after you! Because of all the shit you put us through, look at Sakura! She cant even be in the same room as you anymore without shaking like a leaf!" Sasuke glanced at her. Her eyes were to the floor, though she was trying to hide it, he could tell she was trembling. His eyes softened. He looked back to Naruto

"I'm sorry, I never meant for all of this. If you had just let me go"

"How could I you were my best friend, 'were' being the key word right there"

"What do you want me to do Naruto?!"

"Disappear forever" He growled. Sakura gasped. She'd never heard him talk like that before. He helped her up then walked out. She gave one last look to Sasuke who was staring out the window.

A note from me- this is my first note for this story. Before I didn't really have anything to say but I do now. I hope you guys are enjoying it so far. I don't plan to resolve the Sasuke/Naruto thing extra fast. Could you forgive someone like that who almost killed you and was supposed to be your best friend? I couldn't so I didn't want to fix their issues that quick. I've dropped hints at who the masked chick could be, so maybe you can figure it out. In case you missed it Hiro is Hikari's brother, the village Sasuke visited was her hometown. That's all for now. Thanks for the reviews and what not so far, especially uzukun7. see ya


	7. Chapter 7

"Thirteen clans. That's how many there are, its said that the first one helped create the others" Tsunade was reading from her book again "It also says here that the demons were originally supposed to help protect but rebelled"

"All you've been doing is reading that book Hokage. We have important matters to discuss" Shizune said "That's why Hyuga-san is here". He stood waiting patiently with his hands clasped behind his back

"Its ok, this is actually interesting. Lady Hokage could you describe a clan for me?"

"Which one?"

"Just pick one, it doesn't matter"

"Let me see…ah! Here's one. It says here that the very first clan was said to be able to control the wind. Their symbol was the wolf, only…"

"Wait! You said the wolf?"

"Yes, why?"

"Nothing" He remembered the times Hikari's wolf would appear and how her eyes would change. He'd heard rumors about the Okami clan but nothing that had been proven yet.

"Well what did you want to see me about?" she closed the book

"How do you plan to deal with Naruto?"

"I'll come up with something"

"I wanted to ask you that if you must separate the fox from him, could you find someone else to do it?"

"No, Hikari is the only one that I know of who is familiar with this process"

"I was afraid you'd say that" He sighed "Did she tell you there's a chance Naruto could die?"

"Yes"

"Did she also tell you she probably will die if she does it correctly?". Tsunade didn't answer for a few minutes. Finally she said

"She did". He nodded

"I've talked to the counsel. They're willing to hear your case"

"Thank you"

"Your welcome, for what its worth I think you'll make a great mother to Naruto. The Fourth would be happy" He left.

"What do you think has brought this change?" Shizune asked "I thought he hated Naruto"

"Not exactly sure but the counsel will definitely listen to him"

"Will you tell him about how she'll die?". Tsunade shook her head

"If she hasn't told him then she doesn't want him to know"

* * *

Hikari and Sasuke stood on the training ground facing each other. When she had returned home earlier she'd found Naruto gone and her cousin in the mood to spar so after leaving a note, the two had come to a small training area. Sasuke already had a few cuts. He leapt forward then came up behind her and was preparing to kick when she caught it then pushed him back. She smiled

"Come on Sasuke, be serious". That pissed him off more since he was being very serious, it was Hikari who wasn't.

"Hey Hikari!" She turned to see Kiba with Naruto who came across as pissed off as Sasuke. She wondered what had happened in the short time that she had been gone.

"What ya doin?"

"Whats it look like?" She liked Kiba, he was different than Naruto's other friends, he was also one of the few who wasn't creeped out by her wolf. Naruto's presence seemed to make her cousin angrier if that was possible. She dodged more hits, even his fireball jutsu that the Uchiha clan was known for. It was obvious that Kiba was talking to Naruto about something, the blonde shook his head at a comment Kiba had said so he asked while Hikari was dodging some more attacks

"If you have Uchiha blood why don't you use the Sharigan?". She tripped Sasuke then pushed him again before answering

"My mom didn't want us to rely on only that. After her clan was killed she pushed us hard"

"How hard?". She jumped out of the way of one Sasuke's chidori attacks

"Can you imagine your mother making you miss a meal if you even accidentally activated your Sharigan during practice?"

"That must've sucked"

"She became strict to the extreme when it came to our training after what happened. She was afraid dear old Itachi would come for us, she wanted us to be ready" She dodged yet another attack then punched Sasuke. He fell backwards. "We didn't even use chakra based moves"

"Then how did you fight?" Naruto broke his silence

"The good old fashioned way" Sasuke came at her but she spun around and kicked him into a nearby tree.

"I think I'm in love Naruto" Kiba whispered. He felt someone hit him on the head

"Say that again" Neji stood next to him

"Didn't have to hit me so hard" He rubbed the spot. The three continued to watch the two cousins.

"She's really good, she should've become a shinobi" Kiba observed

"Can you believe her life goal is to become a teacher?" Naruto asked

"Really? She should marry me. Our kids would be awesome" That got him another hit from Neji.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Naruto asked him

"Hokage wants to see you and I'm supposed to get Hikari so she can go wedding dress shopping with my mother and aunt"

"She'll definitely love that" He smiled "Hikari! Neji's here to pick you up!"

"Ok!" She dodged another chidori attack, she tripped Sasuke then grabbed his arm as he was falling, twisting it behind his back.. She sat on top of him still pinning his arm down.

"Make sure you don't make her mad" Kiba laughed then followed after Naruto. Neji smirked. He'd keep that in mind.

* * *

Tsunade was in high spirits. She had just talked with the counsel and they had said yes. She started dancing around, which is what Naruto and Kiba saw when they entered her office

"You think she's been drinkin too much sake again?" Kiba whispered

"Probably"

"Naruto!" She grabbed his hands and began dancing in a circle. Shizune walked in smiling.

"Hey old lady stop! I'm getting dizzy" She stopped "Whats wrong with you anyway?" he tried to make the room stop spinning.

"Its been approved!"

"What?"

"The adoption, the counsel said yes" Seeing Naruto remain expressionless she put her hands on her hips and said "Well?!"

"You're gonna be my mom?" She nodded "And I'm gonna be your son?"

"That's usually how it goes" Kiba rolled his eyes

"This is great, wait but what made them change their minds?"

"We'll talk about that later, right now I want to celebrate. We're hittin the best restaurant in town"

"Can I come? I haven't eaten all day" Kiba's stomach growled as if on cue

"Sure, I'll be back later Shizune. Hold down the fort for me" She jumped out the window with an equally happy Naruto and Kiba behind her. Shizune was happy for her, she still had paperwork to fill out to make it official but thanks to Mr. Hyuga's words things would go much smoother. She sighed. A man came up next to her

"Its been a long time since I've seen her smile like that". She realized who it was

"Would you like me to go and get her for you?"

"No, don't wanna spoil her mood and believe me, what I have to say will do that. I'll go do some research. See ya Shizune"

"Bye Master Jiraiya"

* * *

She was like Hinata only older was Hikari's first impression of Neji's mom. Hyuga Noriko was quiet like her niece, she wasn't that much taller than her too. Her hair was pulled back in a long braid that went down her back. Hikari liked her instantly; the other woman was much different. Hyuga Mika wasn't quiet, she spoke her mind. She carried herself with grace and elegance but when she had to she could be the meanest/fiercest woman in Konoha. She was taller than her sister-in-law and wore her hair in a neat bun. She sat at a small table drinking tea with Noriko sitting across from her. Neji walked over and kissed his mother.

"Its about time" Mika said putting her cup down

"I'm sorry Aunt Mika" Neji bowed slightly. She nodded

"You're fine" She turned her attention to Hikari who was a little on the dirty side from her match with Sasuke. She frowned "It will take a miracle to make you into a proper lady" She shook her head "Come here Hikari, I want you to meet Neji's mother, Hyuga Noriko"

"Hi"

"Hello"

"I called you here today because we have many things to do. We talked with your grandmother and she wants us to go and pick out wedding things, such as dresses, flowers, etc." Hikari's eyes got big "Neji's birthday will be her soon and she wants us to start preparing. Neji you may leave" Seeing the horror on Hikari's face made him almost feel sorry enough to go with them, almost."Don't worry, Hinata will join us. This'll be fun"

An hour later found the four at an upscale wedding dress shop. After trying on what felt like hundreds of dresses the Hyuga ladies finally found one they thought was beautiful, it was an all white kimono with white flowers stitched on around the bottom and around the sleeves, never mind the fact that Hikari couldn't breathe.

"It looks lovely! What do you think Noriko?"

"Yes, it is very pretty. My would go very nice with it"

"Turn around for us" Mika gestured. Hikari did, listening as they made their comments. The dressmaker walked over and soon the three were arguing over the price.

"How's it feel?" Hinata asked

"I'll probably die of suffocation but other than that I'm good". Hinata giggled

"While you were in the dressing room my mother had me get Neji. She wants to know his opinion"

"Aren't the guys supposed to wait until the day of the wedding?"

"Not with her"

"Where is he?"

"Outside"

"Lets get this over with" She sighed then picked up the kimono so it wouldn't drag. Hinata followed behind her. Thinking only her future husband was outside she said jokingly "Does this dress make my butt look big?" Only when she glanced around did she notice Lee, Naruto and Kiba with him. She blushed in embarrassment

"Actually…" Kiba started to say but got a glare from Neji that said 'Don't answer that'

"No, you look very stunning Hikari" Lee said

"Yes, you look fine" Neji added

"I think…" Kiba scooted away from him "It brings out your curves in a good way, a very good way" He grinned. Neji hit him on the head "OWWW! Its not a bad comment"

"You should learn how to speak Kiba" Neji growled

"I know all of you were thinking it!" That got him another, harder hit. Lee tried to calm his friend down. Hinata laughed then walked over to try and get some sense into Kiba. Hikari remembered Naruto was there so she asked

"What do you think Naruto?" He didn't answer for a few seconds, then simply said

"Beautiful" With one of his big smiles.

"Naruto lets go somewhere where I can speak my mind without being harassed" Kiba said. He wasn't stupid and had seen the way Naruto had watched Hikari, to avoid something awkward he wanted to get his friend away from the area. Naruto nodded

"Have fun"

"I will" Hikari replied sarcastically

"Bye Kiba" Hinata blushed

"See ya later" The two started off in the direction of Kiba's house "What the hell was that?" He asked when they had gotten some distance away

After a long day of going from shop to shop and dealing with Mika Hyuga who tended to get crankier as the day wore on, it was decided that the four should take a break in the hot springs. Mika, Noriko and Hinata, along with many other ladies, were already in the water relaxing. Hikari had her towel on and was preparing to walk in when she saw an older man peaking in through a small hole. She walked up to him and said

"Some perverts never change". He jumped then turned around to see Hikari. He relaxed

"Hey kiddo! How are ya? I was only doing some research" He grinned

"Whatever, but what are you doing here? Tsunade was searching everywhere for you"

"Yeah, yeah. I had things to take care of" He stood up and stretched "How's Naruto?". She raised an eyebrow

"If you wanna call getting weaker every minute he's around me ok then he's doing great"

"The fox is afraid of you, that's why he's weaker"

"I thought it was the fact that the seal is completely gone"

"That's only part of it, you know that move that your clan was taught that can actually go inside of a container's mind?"

"Yeah"

"You may need to use it and confront the fox"

"He hates my family"

"True but if you talk to him you may be able to get him to calm down"

"Cant you just seal him away again?"

"I could but what's the point if there's a chance that it'll break again? Naruto would live in fear each day that the seal isn't strong enough. I could seal it but it wouldn't be as strong as the one the Fourth used"

"You agree with me then that the only other option is to separate them". He nodded

"But that requires the life chakra of the person performing it" He said quietly

"Akane Tora says I care too much, maybe that's my problem". He gave a sad smile

"Your grandmother is very proud of you, she wanted me to tell you that"

"She had time to say that in between you hitting on her? I'm amazed"

"Ha! She hits on me for your information, besides she's very pretty for her age". Hikari rolled her eyes

"Well you old pervert you should go talk with Tsunade"

"I'm not looking forward to that but alright. Don't stress to much Hikari" He said, walking away.

"Too late" She whispered.

* * *

On Tsunade's orders Naruto was moving back to his apartment with Kiba's help. She had the idea that he might recover some of his strength if he wasn't around Hikari so much. He had protested at first but after she explained it, it made sense. The only thing he had been dreading was being in the same room as Sasuke but lucky for him he wasn't there when they had started packing. Kiba had just dropped the last box on the floor then collapsed next to it. Naruto went to his fridge to find something to drink. Sai walked in a few minutes later.

"Hey Sai" Kiba said in between breathes "Naruto packed like he was moving out of the country"

"You sound like you ran from here to Suna"

"Feels like it"

"I guess I accumulated more stuff after I moved in with her" Naruto set a glass of water next to his hand "What are you doing here?" He asked Sai as he took a seat on a nearby box

"You forget the festival is tonight?"

"What festival? Oh! That one!" Starting that night the Cherry Blossom Festival. Florists from around the country would come and present the different things they'd created with the flower, it could be anything from a creative flower arrangement to an expensive dress. There'd be food, games and a prize awarded to the most original creation. No one was quiet sure how the festival got started but it was very popular and attracted people from all over.

"Didn't Ino enter this year?" Kiba asked from the floor

"Yeah, but she wouldn't say what she was making"

"The Hokage is worried" Sai picked up the glass that was meant for Kiba

"What else is new?"

"I was gonna drink that!" Kiba whined, barely lifting his head

"Of course you were, anyway if Akatsuki were going to strike then now would be the time"

"We'll see what happens"

"I think I'm gonna finally work up the courage to ask Hinata to go with me tonight, what do you guys think?" He was met with silence "Guys?" He sat up to see Sai and Naruto gone "I hate them" He let his head hit the floor

The Festival started with fireworks. The streets were crowded. People going to different vendors, kids chasing each other, the smell of food was everywhere. Naruto had been almost everywhere with Kiba and Hinata. He had told them to go on while he took a break, Kiba's eyes had gotten big when Naruto had said that. Naruto simply laughed then walked away, he noticed how nervous his friend was around Hinata. Judging from the way she had blushed when he started to leave told him she felt the same. He leaned his head back and stared at the sky. Neji and Hikari walked up, she carried a giant stuffed bear.

She collapsed next to him on the bench, immediately rubbing her ankles.

"What happened to you?" Naruto asked

"Neji's crazy aunt wanted me to practice walking in heels. I've been wearing them ALL DAY! My feet hurt so bad"

"Rest here, I'll be back" Neji said. When he was gone Naruto said

"Cute bear, he win it for you?"

"No, I did. I'm gonna take it home and give it to Icee as a chew toy". Naruto couldn't tell if she was joking "Me and Sasuke miss you already". He sniffed "We do"

"If you say so"

"Lets go play some games"

"But you cant walk remember?"

"I'll take 'em off then". She slipped out of them

"Your feet stink" He grinned

"Keeps the boys away, now lets go Blu" She handed the giant bear to him

"What are gonna do with those?" He asked pointing to the shoes

"Leave 'em here. Neji's smart, he'll figure it out"

He beat her in every game they played which caused her to be in a sour mood until he bought her ice cream. He still carried the bear. Naruto watched the people as he walked. He'd never seen Konoha more crowded, not even during the Chunin exams. The Festival occurred every two years and seemed to attract more crowds each time it was held. As they passed a flower stand he saw Sasuke with Sakura. He tensed. Sasuke appeared to be talking while Sakura listened. She had kept her eyes on the ground but locked eyes with Sasuke when he said something. Her eyes brightened _What the hell?_ Sasuke left after a few seconds. Naruto decided to go investigate. Meanwhile Hikari had continued walking for at least ten more minutes before she noticed he wasn't there. She groaned then started to scan the area

"Hey Okami! How's it going?" Akane walked up wearing an even shorter Yukata that some how managed to cover just enough. She pulled the lollipop out of her mouth.

"To what do I owe this honor?"

"No need to be rude, anyway who are you looking for?"

"Naruto, have you seen him?"

"He's back there" She gestured behind Hikari

"Thanks" She started off. Akane tagged along, putting the sucker back in her mouth

"I talked to Jin"

"Really?" Hikari was interested now

"Well he didn't talk, I did. He's up north with his family"

"I haven't seen him in awhile" She smirked "I know he's pissed"

"Of course he is, you left without telling him and you guys are supposed to be best friends"

"He'll get over it" She held a hand out. She saw the back of what looked like Naruto and Sakura. She snuck closer then hid behind a small booth, peaking around the corner.

"You are so weird" Akane knelt next to her. Hikari shushed her "Why are we spying?"

"I think they're in love" Akane started to snicker but Hikari put a hand over her mouth "They have to be right?"

"You should ask"

"That would make it seem like I care"

"But you do right?"

"Only as a friend concerned about another friend. It doesn't matter who Naruto ends up with as long as she makes him happy". Akane sneezed

"Sorry" She said "I'm allergic to bullshit". Hikari gave her a glare then went back to watching her subjects. 'Naruto' grabbed 'Sakura's' hand

"Isnt that cute, it seems to me that he's gonna kiss her" Akane finished her sucker then chewed on the stick

"He's hesitating" Hikari said

"No wait he's goin for it" Akane clapped as the two kissed.

"Told you they're in love"

"Who?" Another voice asked

"Who we've been watching, Naruto and Sakura"

"How do you know that?"

"We just discussed this" She turned around to see Naruto with a serious look on his face and Akane with a huge grin on hers, she glanced again at the couple. She could make out their faces now and it definitely wasn't Naruto or Sakura. "Oh hey Naruto! How are you?"

"You didn't answer my question" She glanced at Akane who shrugged. Hikari grinned sheepishly

"I don't know...just throwing it out there" Naruto continued to give her an intense look. His silence wasn't helping either. Finally he said

"I gave your bear to a kid who was crying, since you were only gonna use it for a chew toy" With that he stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned to go.

"Talk about awkward" Hikari pretended to wipe sweat from her forehead

"How long was he standing there?"

"A few minutes I guess"

"Could've warned me"

"Now what would be the fun in that. If its any consolation he seemed already annoyed before he got here" They both stood up "I see a potential future husband up ahead, chat with ya later" She fluffed her hair then strutted across the way. Hikari looked up at the sky, the moon was out. She decided to follow her friend. If she hadn't been so absorbed in her thoughts she would've seen a figure hiding in a tree not too far from her. She would've thought it was Naruto except for one small detail, his eyes were Sharigan red.

Naruto had finally stopped in a quiet grassy area. He laid on his back and watched the stars. He was annoyed, not because of Hikari though he did wonder about she had been doing , with Sakura. When he went over to find out what was going on she started to explain that she was starting to forgive Sasuke. She hadn't said exactly what they had been talking about but it was obvious that she was happy.

"_How can you forgive him like this?"_

"_When we talked it was like old times again. He seems really sorry for what he's done"_

"_Ha! 'Seems' is the key word in there. Its probably a trick"_

"_Maybe that's the difference between us, I want us all to be friends again. We'll have to let go eventually"_

"_Its his fault not mine so don't tell me to forgive him and act like everything's ok when it isn't"_

"_I'm not saying that but you cant be mad at him forever, especially since he plans to stay here permanently"_

"_What?!"_

"_He's waiting for the Hokage's approval"_

"_Sakura come here!" Ino shouted from some feet away_

"_I'm gonna go but Naruto I want you to at least try. He wants to talk to you but you've made it known you don't want to deal with him" She patted him on the shoulder Try for me at least"_

"Blu whats wrong?" Hikari sprawled out next to him

"Sakura wants me to forgive Sasuke, what do you think?"

"You can if you want, either way its gonna take time to rebuild your relationship but why does it seem easier for her than you?"

"She was in love with him once, maybe that's why" He mumbled "Him not me Hikari". She blushed in embarrassment

"I thought you forgot about that"

"It only happened five minutes ago" He grinned "Sakura would've never dated me, Sasuke was the one she wanted but he didn't have the same feelings"

"You make it appear like you're un-dateable"

"According to your future uncle-in-law I'm also un-marriable"

"That's not true"

"Doesn't matter"

"People think that what they say has no affect on you simply because you always cover it up with that smile of yours. You don't have to do that"

"So you're a psychiatrist now?"

"Its just a suggestion" There was a pause

"Sorry, I'm just…I don't know"

"Its ok, but I will take money for my advice" Naruto laughed "How's Mom?"

"I don't call her that, I've gotten too used to 'old hag'. She tried to cook me dinner the other night but almost set my place on fire. Shizune usually cooks and brings her something to eat or she eats out"

"She reminds me of my Dad at times"

"You've never told me about your family"

"Where do you want me to start?"

"Your mom"

"Lets see…she's quiet and reserved, always thinks before she opens her mouth. Very pretty, at least to me. She's also very clumsy, I get that from her. She once tripped over her own feet, while trying to keep from falling she ran into a wall"

"Sounds like you. Neji told me she's dying from some poison or something". Hikari knitted her eyebrows, trying to remember that conversation

"Oh Yeah!" She laughed "I told him that so he'd leave me alone. She's perfectly fine"

"Wow Hikari"

"I know but he was being annoying, anyways where was I? Next is my sister, Miya"

"Miya?!"

"Yep, by the way the white wasn't her natural hair color"  
"That would explain a lot"

"You already know about her so I'll move on to my brother, Hiro. He always looks like he just woke up. All the village girls are in love with him, sorta like Sasuke, except he's dated many of them"

"Complete opposites"

"He switches girlfriends when they bore him which is around every few weeks or so. Then there's my youngest brother, Minoru. He has the foulest mouth and he's very blunt"

"How old is he?"

"Around fourteen I think, he's almost exactly like my Dad who swears as much as he does"

"Your Mom doesn't say anything?"

"She does but they don't really listen. I remember this one time when our family was having dinner with this other clan who had a son. My grandma was trying to work out some marriage before the whole Hyuga thing. The guy was gorgeous but was one of those girly guys"

"Sasuke's that type"

"My brother never liked him. He sat next to me while the guy was directly across from him. It was him and his parents then our family. While we're eating Minoru says 'Why do you look so much like a bitch?'"

"He really said that?!"

"Yeah, he wasn't fourteen then. Only ten or so. Anyways he said that and there's this stunned silence then Hiro starts laughing. Miya almost choked on her food. My Mom stopped her food midway to her mouth. The guys dad looked to my Dad to see if he would reprimand Mino but he simply crossed his arms and said 'That's a very valid question, why do you look so much like a bitch? I don't want to wonder one day if my grandchild is a boy or a girl" Naruto laughed "My Grandma was at the other end of the table. She shook her head then kept eating. I never saw him again after that"

"They allow him to be that outspoken?"

"Yeah, my Mom's grateful that its only Mino who ended up like my Dad. I think that was the day I met Gaara and his sibs"

"I haven't seen him in a while"

"His sister trained under my mom, she's pretty good. She and Miya are best friends"

"Maybe when all this stuff is over I could come up and visit some time, I could bring Tsunade and make it a vacation"

"That'd be cool" She yawned "I'm gonna rest my eyes for a second"

"Ok" Both were sleep in a few minutes. Silently a figure bent over Hikari

"Wake up" it whispered

"What?" She opened her eyes to see Naruto bent over her

"I wanna show you something" She groaned, she was still half sleep but she got up and followed him. Meanwhile Naruto felt himself being nudged. He woke to see Icee whining

"Whats wrong?"

"He's trying to tell you that Hikari is gone" A voice answered. Naruto bolted up to see Kisane sitting in the grass across from him.

"Itachi's here!" Naruto jumped to his feet

"They went to talk. We should do that too" He rose to his feet and pulled out his sword. Above Naruto in a tree sat the masked woman watching.

A note from me: That comment about Akane being allergic to b.s. I got from I, Robot. Didn't want anyone thinking I made it up.


	8. Chapter 8

It was such a beautiful night. The moon shone brightly. The stars were out. No clouds in the sky. A slight breeze propelled the leaves from their places in such a way they seemed as if they were dancing. The wind started to blow harder, causing Hikari's hair to fly around her head. Her eyes were a cold gray, a sign that she was very angry. Itachi stood some feet away from her, taking in this woman who he used to always find crying about one thing or another. The silence spoke more than words could. Hikari was full of emotions that she was determined to not let show. Itachi took one step, the wind blew harder forcing him back

"You've learned to control it better" He stated. He was met with more silence. "You're not the same Hikari I remember"

"And you sure as hell aren't the same Itachi I remember" Her voice was low.

"I haven't come to kill you"

"Like you could". He allowed a faint smile. He'd heard rumors of how his aunt had trained his cousins, how she had pushed and pushed. He'd also heard of her clan's cockiness.

"I want to discuss a deal"

"We don't have shit to discuss!". Itachi could tell if he didn't hurry and get it out that he'd have to fight her, not that was necessarily a bad thing. He did want to see how much stronger she had become.

"Naruto" Hiakri paled. That was the reaction he was hoping for. She calmed down.

"What about him?". He and Kisame had been watching the two of them for almost two weeks. At first he'd been surprised that Hikari would befriend someone like him but it all ended up working to his advantage.

"You release the fox for us"

"If I don't?"

"The Leaf village will be destroyed" Itachi knew her weakness was protecting others, she'd been that way ever since they were kids.

"Explain"

"We have assembled a fairly large group of shinobi who are highly skilled and trained. A day has been set when we will start our plan using this army. We will destroy anyone who gets in our way and with the Kyubbi we will be unstoppable. We have all the tailed ones except the fox. It would be much easier for you to release it than all the Akatsuki members. We'll leave Konoha alone if you do this."

"Why?"

"As powerful as we'll be they wont really be a problem for us. As we speak our men are making a very powerful jutsu around the village. Once activated it can cause the destruction of a very large area"

"How do I know that once I'm dead you'll do what you say?"

"I promise Hikari". She flinched. When Itachi would promise things he never broke them, no matter what. She remembered her mom always telling Hiro to copy that from their cousin. "Basically if I do this you'll leave Konoha alone, if I don't you'll destroy it. What about Naruto?"

"One of our members knows a way to keep him alive after the process" She nodded "I will personally make sure that nothing happens to him"

"And all this time I kept hearing how cold and heartless you were" She gave a sad laugh

"Hikari either way the end is inevitable but what you decide could save many people" He knew what her answer would be.

"When do I have to make a decision?"

"Now would be nice" She closed her eyes_ Think of something Hikari, think! _

"Is that all you can do?" Kisame laughed dodging an attack by Naruto "I heard you were weaker but this is ridiculous". Naruto had been trying to go find Hikari but Kisame kept blocking him.

"Get out of the way!" Suddenly he was filled with anger. His chakra started to glow around him. Kisame's smile fell. The Rasengan started to form in his hand.

"Kisame" He turned to see a woman standing behind him. It was the distraction Naruto needed. His attack connected with the other man sending flying into the distance. The woman turned to leave

"Why'd you help me?" She shrugged

"Have you done what I told you to?"

"Yes but you still shouldn't kill them, its not right"

"We could have a discussion all night about the definition of that word but I don't have the time nor the patience. Go check on your friend" She was gone in the blink of an eye. Naruto didn't waste any time. He raced into the forest. He found Hikari a few minutes later leaning against a tree, she looked tired.

"Hikari" She started to fall to her knees but he caught her.

"He's not the same Naruto" She answered as tears slid down her face. Instead of asking questions, he picked her up then headed for her apartment. People were still out at the festival, he wished that they'd stayed there. Finally he made it to her building, opening her door he found Sasuke staring out the window. Naruto didn't want a big scene so he tried to quietly walk down the hall.

"I'm not deaf Naruto" He rolled his eyes and was going to add to it when he saw his cousin crying in his former teammate's arms. He automatically went into protective mode

"What the hell did you do?" He growled

"Nothing, she saw Itachi" He hurried down the hall, making it to her room then putting her on the bed. She turned over on her side with her back to him "Do you need anything?"

"No I'll be fine" She whispered. Naruto got up quietly, walking out of the room and sliding her door shut a little. An angry Sasuke was waiting for him

"Explain"

"Itachi got her away from me. I dont know what happened. I tried getting to her but Kisame was a problem. Whatever he wanted to discuss with her, he wanted to do it alone" He ran a hand through his hair, leaned his back against the wall then slid down it to the floor.

"They were close even though he's older" Sasuke said sitting next to him

"Do you think she'll talk about what happened?"

"No, she keeps things to herself a lot. She always feels like she needs to protect everyone"

"I wonder what their planning, it has to be big"

"Why?"

"They haven't been after me recently, like today they could've made an attempt but they didn't" Naruto closed his eyes "Don't think this means everything's forgiven, we just happen to have concern for the same person"

"Hmph" Sasuke crossed his arms, his eyes closed a few seconds later

* * *

"Amazing they got in here undetected" It was the following morning. Naruto and Jiraiya sat in a small tea shop. Naruto had wanted him to train him again but had ended up on another subject "How was Hikari this morning?"

"Like nothing ever happened, Sasuke said not to bring it up, that she'll talk when she's ready" By now everyone knew Akatsuki had been there the previous night.

"You two on speaking terms now?" He raised an eyebrow

"Only last night" Jiraiya smiled "What?"

"I give you guys one month or two at the most, maybe not even that"

"Yeah right"

"You two were like brothers, its much easier to repair a bond like that than to completely destroy it"

"If you say so. Anyways that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. I want you to train me again" Jiraiya nearly choked on his tea

"Kid have you lost your mind?! Tsunade would never allow it, not in your state. If you thought she was bad before she's gonna be even worse now that's she's your mom officially! I'm not gettin killed over this!"

"When I fought Kisame last night I was able to use the Rasengan, actually it felt stronger than before"

"That's interesting, did you power it with the Kyubbi's chakra?"

"No, it was my own" Jiraiya nodded

"Maybe we can work something out"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah but don't get too happy, I still need to talk it over with Tsunade"

"Thanks!"

"How've you been feeling by the way?"

"Alright I guess" he shrugged "Could be worse" Jiraiya nodded

"I wonder what Akatsuki is planning"

"All I know is if they touch Hikari, I'll kill 'em"

"How long was she alone with him?"

"Maybe ten minutes, she's never gonna tell me is she?"

"Probably not. She deals with things on her own"

"Like Sasuke" He mumbled bitterly

"Actually no, she does it for a different reason. She was picked on a lot as a kid. Felt if she told her family every time it happened she'd be seen as weak so she kept it inside. Its how she's dealt with her problems"

"Why was she picked on?" Naruto was interested more now. Jiraiya seemed to hesitate

"Because of who she was"

"But she was related to the Uchihas, I cant imagine that would bring pain and suffering"

"Maybe one day I'll tell you the whole story but right now I gotta go. Thanks for the meal kid!"

"No problem…hey wait a minute!" Too late. The great Sanin had disappeared leaving Naruto to foot the bill "Why do I even eat out with him anymore?!" He groaned, landing his head on the table.

"I heard her family comes from demons" TenTen said. She, Ino and Sakura sat outside of the hospital on their breaks. Sakura ran a hand threw her hair and sighed. It was obvious that TenTen was in love with Neji. Sakura hoped he didn't feel the same or else it would make his and Hikari's marriage that much harder and make a very angry Sasuke.

"Where'd you hear that?" Ino asked as she sipped from her water bottle.

"My mom knows some people who know Hikari's family"

"But demons?"

"It has to be true. Have you ever seen when her eyes change color?"

"Sasuke's eye's do that"

"He has the Sharigan. I've never seen her use it at all. I cant believe Neji has to marry her"

"Actually that was surprising to me. He never said anything about it" Sakura finally spoke.

"He told me"

"Really?" They both asked at the same time

"What about Lee?"

"Nope, I know you don't want to believe it, especially you Sakura since you two are friends and all, but I love Neji and he does love me"

"Hold on, are you sure? Have you talked to him?" Ino asked

"Yes, many times. He wanted to marry me" There was a hint of sadness "She ruined everything"

"She didn't really have a choice either" Sakura grumbled. She was getting tired of listening to TenTen complain "Hikari doesn't want to be with him anymore than you want her with him" They lapsed into silence, enjoying the breeze that blew by them. Suddenly they heard a howl.

"What was that?" TenTen jumped

"Just a wolf" Ino yawned. Neji walked up to them "Hi Neji"

"Hi, TenTen would you please come with me?" She smiled and nodded. They left

"I think he does love her or at least care about her anyway" Sakura rested her chin on one of her hands "You see the way he watched her?"

"Yeah, I was hoping it wasn't true. Just gives her more room to be a bitch"

"Should I tell Hikari?"

"That's your call, if you don't want a fight on your hands I suggest you keep quiet though"

"She'd kill herself before fighting over a guy. Her exact words" Ino giggled

"Sakura-chan" Hinata raced to them panting

"Whats wrong?"

"Its Hikari and Naruto, they're getting ready to fight"

"Show me" Sakura and Ino ran behind her.

Five minutes later found the three outside the Hyuga estate. Naruto was beyond pissed while Hikari had her arms crossed.

"What happened?" Sakura whispered

"Naruto found out Hikari's plan"

"What plan?"

"How she'll sacrifice herself in order for the Kyubbi to be separated" Ino gasped

"She'd really do that?"

"Yes" Hinata appeared ready to cry any minute

_She and Hikari had been outside earlier. Hikari was supposed to be practicing her walk but had ditched it in favor of sunshine. She and Hinata had been eating popsicles when a very angry Naruto appeared. _

"_Whats wrong with you?"_

"_Why didn't you tell me?" His voice was low_

"_Tell you what?"_

"_You'll die separating that stupid fox from me" Hinata drew in her breath. She'd never known that._

"_Your point?" Hikari continued eating as if nothing were wrong_

"_How can you be so calm?! You could die and you don't care?"_

"_We all die eventually Naruto sometimes the way we live just speeds up the process"_

"_What the hell is that supposed to mean? And why wouldn't you tell me? I had to find out from Tsunade and even then she did it accidentally"_

"_I didn't tell you because I knew you'd be irrational" She stood "This is the best way to get rid of the fox. If I don't do this then you'll keep having problems. Old foxy will take over one day. Many more people will die then"  
"There has to be another way, I'm not letting you do this!"_

"_Who the hell said I needed your permission?" That's when they had started their standoff._

"This cant be all thats bothering Naruto. This seems like something they could talk about" Ino said

"I'm not letting you do it" Naruto said

"Think about it, I die people live. I live people will die. You think Kyubbi likes being in you? He's just waiting for an opportunity Naruto. Stop thinking with your heart and use your head!" She turned to go but Naruto caught up, grabbing her by the elbow "Let go" Hikari said.

"Guys please don't" Sakura yelled

"Not until you promise me you wont do this"

"I cant do that" A wind began to blow. Ino promised she heard a wolf howl from not too far away.

"Naruto you aren't thinking straight! Stop it!" Sakura shouted

"I said let go" Hikari pushed him away. She didn't leave however. Instead the two looked like they were getting ready to fight.

"No! Not again!"

"What do we do?" Ino cried. Hinata acted first. She ran to Hikari and stepped in front of her.

"I wont let you two hurt each other" Her usual quiet and shy demeanor was gone.

"He wants the fight, I don't know what his problem is!"

"Naruto don't" Sakura and Ino stood in front of him

"I'm not gonna let her die because of me Sakura"

"You don't have to fight though" The wind blew stronger. Neji, TenTen and Lee were approaching them. Lee had started to shout a greeting but Neji shook his head. He could sense the tension.

"I don't have time for this, I'm outta here" Hikari was about to leave when someone pined her to a tree. Naruto's eyes were red.

"No Naruto!" Sakura screamed. Neji and Lee almost ran to stop him but Hikari gave them a look that said 'I can handle this'. Ino had her hands to her mouth.

"Something else is wrong" Neji stated

"We have to end this!" Hinata said

"We cant as much as I want to". Naruto was starting to grow fangs. A tail appeared behind him

"**This is it boy! Stop her now!" **The Kyubbi roared from behind its cage which was becoming looser.

"Naruto don't let him control you. He's feeding off your anger. The seal is already gone. He wont need much to get out" She whispered. His hand had moved to her throat. He was slowly choking her.

"Whats going on?" Sasuke appeared next to Sakura. He had sensed something and followed his instincts to the Hyugas. Now he saw his best (former) friend killing his cousin. To say he was mad was an understatement. His eyes turned Sharigan red.

"Don't! She doesn't want us to interfere" Neji grabbed his arm. Sasuke pulled away and was getting ready to beat the fox out of Naruto when Neji wrapped his arms around him.

"Let go!" Sasuke got ready to attack but Lee helped his friend restrain him "Naruto you kill her and wont hesitate to kill you!" He screamed. Sakura was scared now. She'd never seen Sasuke show so much emotion.

"**Finish this! End her pathetic life!"**

Naruto squeezed harder. Two tails appeared. Hikari could barely breathe but she managed to choke out

"You gotta control it Blu" A wolf howled again which seemed to bring Naruto out of it. Realizing what he was doing he stopped

"Hikari" She fell to the ground not moving "What did I do?" He fell to his knees and screamed

The fox paced in anger. He'd almost had her, almost.

"**Okami's aren't as easy to kill as they used to be"**

"We were never easy to kill" A white wolf appeared outside the gate

"**I haven't seen you in a very long time"** He snarled **"What do you want?"**

"Despite what you think Hikari never came her with the intention of killing you. In fact she was going to propose that when she did the separation that you leave ninety-five percent of your power with Naruto"

"**So?"**

"Have you forgotten already? Once separated you would still exist just on a smaller and less powerful scale. You leaving behind most of your power would ensure Naruto's survival"

"**She really didn't come to kill me?"**

"No, only to make an agreement. Do you agree?"

"**If she were alive I'd say yes" **He snorted "**But she is dead"**

"As I said before demon you cant kill an Okami so easily"

"**Like you have room to talk, calling me a demon"**

"We'll talk again old friend"

Naruto had collapsed unconscious. Sakura felt his pulse to make sure he was breathing. She glanced across to Sasuke who was kneeling over his cousin. Neji had stepped over but Sasuke wouldn't let him near her.

"She's still breathing" Hinata observed "We need to get them both to the hospital"

"Lee help me with Naruto" He and Sakura darted for the hospital. Hinata and Ino followed. Sasuke picked up Hikari. His eyes were still in Sharigan mode. He looked at Neji then TenTen then back to Neji. A creepy smirk appeared on his face then he was gone too.

* * *

Naruto awoke to a huge headache. He sat up but instantly regretted it. He rested his head back on the pillow. He finally realized he was in a hospital room (once again). The memories of what happened with Hikari flooded to him.

"I killed her" He whispered

"Glad to see you're awake" Sasuke sat in a chair next to him

"At least one of us is happy"

"It wasn't your fault"

"I'm tired of everyone saying that! I should've been able to control it better!"

"All the training in the world wouldn't be able to be in command of that thing" Naruto grumbled

"Why are you even here? I do remember you shouting you wouldn't hesitate to kill me if I killed Hikari" He watched his face but Sasuke kept the same cool demeanor.

"And I meant it"

"Okay…so why haven't you done anything yet?"

"Because idiot she isn't dead"

"What?!" He shot up "Are you sure?". Sasuke raised an eyebrow in irritation

"No, I just imagined talking with her a few minutes ago" Before he could stop him, Naruto had darted out of bed "You're supposed to be resting, you were out for two days. Tsunade will be in here any minute to check on you"

"Where's her room?"

"Three down from yours"

"Thanks" Five seconds later Naruto entered her room. He saw her lying on the bed with a machine hooked up to her. He walked over. She looked pale. He knelt next to her

"Hikari I'm so sorry. I cant believe I did this" He brushed some hair out of her face. He heard footsteps enter the room but didn't acknowledge the person

"Is she breathing?" The voice asked

"Through the machine" Naruto answered. The person bit into what sounded like an apple

"Wow that must suck! Don't worry bout it, shit happens" Naruto growled in anger. He jumped up to face the person only to see it was Hikari in a brown yukata munching her apple. He glanced back to the bed in time to see the clone disappear

"Hikari" He pulled her into a hug. His chin rested on her shoulder "I didn't mean…Im sorry"

"Its ok Naruto"

"How can you say that? I almost killed you"

"But you didn't. I knew you wouldn't"

"You have more faith in me than I do at times". Neither spoke for a few minutes. Naruto had a hold of her like he was afraid something would happen if he let go. Hikari finally broke away

"I gotta go"

"Where?"

"Lady Hyuga will be here any minute. Have no intention of dealing with that today" She hopped onto the window, opening it "If Neji asks tell him I went to hang out with his girlfriend" She smiled then jumped out.

"We need to talk" Sasuke said from the doorway

"Fine. I need to change first" He saw Icee standing with Sasuke. His fur had changed color "What happened to him? His fur is white". Sasuke shrugged

"Was running around in the snow" He started down the hall

"That's impossible considering its not even winter, its spring! I'm not stupid"

"Says you" Came the reply. Naruto slightly grinned, trailing behind him.

"I wanted someone to talk to" Hikari said. It was near sunset. Lady Hyuga had found Hikari (thanks to Naruto) at her apartment and dragged her back to the hospital to make sure she was ok then had dragged her to the Hyuga place for more 'how to be a proper wife training'. Akane had already been there looking for her. The two sat in what Akane thought was Neji's room. Hikari ha poked her head in to make sure he wasn't there. She hadn't cared what room she went to, she just needed a break.

"Tell me what he told you" Akane swung her hair to the side then sat on the bed. Hikari sat on the floor facing her.

"He'll make sure Konoha and Naruto live if I release the fox for them"

"Really?"

"He said Akatsuki has amassed a small army and all they need is the fox. He said it'd be easier for me to do it than to gather all of their members"

"Your cousin's an asshole. I always said you care too much. You told him…"

"To fuck off. He wasn't expecting that" she smiled at the memory.

"He was mad"

"Yes"

"The plan?"

"I know he's going to retaliate hard so after I remove Kyubbi from Naruto I want you to take control of my wolves" Akane's eyes got big

"Are you sure?"

"Yes" She nodded 'They'll listen to you. I'm sure with your clan, my wolves and Miyuki and her mom you should be able to pull this off. Also Naruto wont be weakened like I thought from this separation. It'll make him stronger. He wont have to hold back anymore"

"What if we aren't enough?" There was a pause, then Hikari answered

"Don't worry. I talked to Dad, he said he'd be here" Akane clapped her hands. Hikari's father could destroy Akatsuki by himself "He's the backup though, people would ask too many questions and he's always on how I need to solve my own problems"

"Did you tell him about how you could die?"

"No, I couldn't" A faraway look came into her eyes. She felt a sting on her back "Ouch!"

"Whats wrong?"

"Nothing she rubbed her back" Akane crossed her arms

"Take it off"

"What?!"

"Your yukata"

"Why?"

"Just do it" Hikari pulled it off, revealing her undershirt and boy shorts underneath "I'm sure Neji would love this" Akane giggled. She walked around behind her then knelt down. She lifted her shirt up to expose a giant tattoo of a wolf with wings sprouting from its back. It was in a sitting position, looking as if it could see right through her. Hikari had received the tat to show she was chosen to lead her clan and the rest of the thirteen but hers was slightly different. For one Akane could feel energy coming from it. She slapped Hikari on the back causing a yelp to come from the other. "We may not need your Dad"

"What do you mean? You think…you think its waking up?"

"That or the fact that Icee's fur has changed color is a coincidence" Hikari looked across the room to see her wolf lying on the bed as if it were his.

"Where the hell is Naruto?!" Tsunade screamed. She was in his room and had assumed he'd be there resting. She knew he was going to push himself too far one day. She vented at the staff who were supposed to be watching him.

"I'll find him Hokage" Shizune said, hoping to calm her down. She darted from the room.

The woman watched from atop a roof as Naruto and Sasuke walked down the street. Naruto seemed to be more at ease as they talked. A dark haired woman appeared in front of them ranting and raving. The woman recognized her as Tsunade's assistant. Naruto gave a sheepish grin. He said something to Sasuke then disappeared in a poof of smoke. Sasuke started to walk but turned his attention to the roof. However the woman had already vanished. She ran from roof top to roof top trying to make it to her destination. She stopped at the Hyuga main house. She saw a window opened. She lept in to find Akane talking with Hikari, they were preparing to go talk with Tsunade, but she stopped. The masked woman stood facing them.

"Whoa! Whats going on? Hikari do you know who this is?"

"Yep" The woman removed her mask. Akane drew in a breath.

"You're her? I don't understand"

"Actually its more like a partnership" Hikari grabbed her yukata "Find out anything good?" She asked the woman

"Of course" Her sister Miya answered

"Unbelieveable" Akane said

"Ha! Wait til you've heard what I've found out" Miya stretched. It was going to be a long night.


	9. Chapter 9

Naruto was dirty. His clothes wee torn. His face was scratched. It felt like he had broken a rib or something and he was bruised but he managed a small smile as he gazed at Hikari some distance away in the same bad shape he was in. Both were panting for air. A small crater, from when Naruto had tried to hit her with a very powerful Rasengan but missed, was in between them. Jiraiya, Tsunade, Sakura and Sasuke stood on the side. Tsunade in shock because she didn't think Naruto had that much power in him. Jiraiya rubbed his chin thoughtfully trying to figure out how his student had fought like he had without the fox's power. Sakura's hands were over her mouth which shows how she obviously felt. Sasuke stood as still as a statue twirling a kunai on one figure. That's how Shizune found them when she arrived. She didn't bother asking questions but instead walked up to the Hokage

"Lady Hokage you have a visitor"

"What?" She snapped out of her daze "Umm..ok. Jiraiya we WILL talk about this later". He nodded. As she and Shizune started to leave he heard her assistant ask

"What happened? Did Naruto do that?" He sighed. His pupil had become stronger but Jiraiya had no idea of how. As far as he knew, Naruto hadn't actually trained in awhile with all the missions he'd been doing then Hikari came but they hadn't been training with each other. He was so confused, then a past conversation with Naruto came back to his memory

"_Well kid how was the mission?" Jiraiya asked as he and Naruto sat at the ramen stand_

"_Great, the guy we were assigned to escort was pretty cool. We actually spared for a little bit"_

"_That's unusual. Where's he from?"_

"_Sorry but its classified even for you. Tsunade made it clear about that" He downed the rest of his ramen._

"_Did he reach his destination?"_

"_Yeah but he was only there for a week then came back with us. He wanted to train me"_

"_Really?"_

"_Yep, I told him I'd think about it. HEY! There's Kiba! I gotta talk with him about something. See Ya!" He darted out before Jiraiya could stop him, leaving the toad sage with the bill for once._

Jiraiya had thought nothing of that day. He'd assumed Naruto had said no because he hadn't brought it up again, but now he wasn't so sure. Some of those moves he'd seen werent anything he'd, Kakashi, Tsunade or even Iruka had taught him.

"Where'd he learn to do that?" Sakura finally asked

"No clue"

"I've never seen those kind of moves before"

"Sakura do you think…was Naruto trained by anyone else that you know of?"

"No" she shook her head "I mean Sai had made an off handed comment about how his speed and skill had gotten better before he was confined to the village but we thought he was training with you or Kakashi-sensei"

"Amazing"

"He didn't learn that from anyone in the Leaf Village or the Fire Country for that matter" Sasuke whispered. He had an idea of who Naruto had trained under but he'd leave it for him to say.

Naruto was leaning against a tree catching his breath. Hikari was standing straight, eyes lit up with excitement. Tsunade had warned him that she loved a good fight. He grinned. Day one of his training hadn't gone the way he expected, for instance he never thought he'd use the stuff he learned from that guy but here he was.

"Naruto you should rest!" Sakura yelled but he wasn't listening. He was getting too much of an adrenaline rush to back down now. He could tell Hikari was thinking the same thing. With a push he ran towards her. She did the same. They jumped over the crater, Naruto getting ready to use a new attack and Hikari seemingly with nothing. Then they collided with each other. The blast sent them both flying back into the trees. The three bystanders waited anxiously for them to emerge. Five minutes later they both walked slowly from their opposite ends. Sakura made a dash for Naruto while Sasuke headed calmly towards his cousin.

"Asshole! Why didn't you tell me he was your teacher? Only he could block that attack!" Hikari fell to her knees

"I wasn't sure at first" He gave a soft laugh "I cant believe it was your…" before he could finish he fell backwards into Sakura's arms.

* * *

Tsunade made it back to her office ten minutes later. She wanted to finish as quickly as possible so she could go back to Naruto's training. She stopped outside her door.

"Who is it Shizune?"

"Not sure, she wouldn't say"

"This should be fun" She opened the door to see an older woman sitting in a chair in front of her desk. She wore dress pants and a dress shirt with matching heels. Tsunade was surprised by the shoe choice because her guest was an older lady. Her gray hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was reading a book.

"Hokage" Shizune whispered. Tsunade turned to see two women dressed all in white kimonos standing against the wall. Both stood quietly not saying anything.

"Can I help you?" Tsunade asked

"This book you've been reading is very interesting" The woman answered

"Just a bunch of myths" She shrugged then walked over to her desk

"No they're not"

"How would you know?" She closed it then looked up. Brown eyes met hers

"Because I married into one Tsunade"

"Okami Amaya" She grinned "Its been a while". Amaya Okami was around the same age as Tsunade but instead of trying to keep up youthful appearances she had embraced her age.

"Yes it has" She glanced over to Shizune "And is this little Shizune? I remember you when you were smaller"

"Yes ma'am"

"You would've been perfect as one of the girls" She motioned towards the women behind her

"Are they your new students? I heard you weren't taking anymore" Tsunade sat down in her chair.

"Not mine. My lovely daughter didn't want me traveling alone so she sent her best students as companions. They are excellent fighters"

"That's right, she's supposed to be a great teacher"

"She is. She will one day take my place as Matriarch of the family"

"Only you three came?"

"No, Minoru also"

"Well what can I do for you?"

"I'd like to discuss my granddaughter. Hikari is greatly missed at home"

* * *

Twenty minutes later Jiraiya, Naruto, Sakura and Sai stood outside the Hokage's office. Naruto had been called there and told to bring his closest friends. They all waited quietly, except Naruto who was trying to think of what could be so important.

"Calm down kid, I'm sure its not that serious" Jiraiya glanced up from writing notes for his next novel.

"It has to be, why would she want me to bring my closest friends?"

"Which by the way we are both happy you consider us that Naruto" Sakura said. Sai gave a slight nod.

"Come on, after all we've been thru! Who else would I choose besides you guys?"

"Well…" Sakura started to say

"Don't finish that thought" He stopped

"But Naruto are you even trying? Sasuke IS sorry"

"That doesn't change things, he fucked up not me. Besides we talked a little bit" He shrugged "Its not as easy for me to forgive him as I'd once thought itd be"

"Its hard on him too!"

"Why are you defending him anyway? He hurt you too remember?" She flinched

"Naruto" Sai cut in "That's enough"

"Yes, why don't you two calm down and relax ok?" As Jiraiya finished the door started to open. An elegant older woman emerged, followed by two more women in all white. Naruto noticed the earrings she wore were in the shape of a wolf. Her gaze fell on Jiraiya.

" Jiraiya. How are you?"

"Amaya…I'm…what…how…" Naruto started to snicker. He'd never seen the old guy tongue twisted in front of a woman before.

"We have to talk later"

"Where are you going?"

"To see Hikari"

"You know Hikari?!" Naruto asked

"I do young man" She turned to him "And who might you be?"

"Naruto, my newly adopted hard headed son" Tsunade said from the doorway

"I'm not hard headed" He mumbled.

"You are Hikari's friend?"

"Yep"

"It was nice to meet you Naruto, ladies come" She walked down the hall.

"Who was that?" Sakura asked

"NOW THAT'S A WOMAN!" Jiraiya shouted

"We couldn't tell with you drooling and everything" Tsunade went back inside her office

"Who was that?" Sakura asked again

"Lady Amaya Okami, matriarch of the Okami clan and one of the best fighters I've ever met. In other words Hikari's grandmother" He walked inside

"I guess we know for sure she gets her scruffy looks from her fathers side" Sai said. Sakura elbowed him.

* * *

Hikari stood in the over sized kitchen of the Hyuga house as she tried for the hundredth time to make the meal on the paper. It was an old Hyuga recipe and Mika Hyuga had thought she should know how to cook it. It was a rite of passage for all the Hyuga women. Hikari groaned then crumpled the paper and threw it behind her.

"You're not going to learn that way" Hanabi said. She had formed an immediate attachment to Hikari and tended to follow her everywhere when she was over "If Hinata was here she'd help you. Mama taught her the recipe when she was ten"

"Or maybe you weren't meant to be a cook" Neji added. They both sat at a small table in the corner. Whenever he was home he'd help or keep Hikari company when she was doing her 'lessons'.

"Thanks Neji, that makes me feel a lot better" She sighed. TenTen was supposed to be coming over later. His aunt adored her. At first Hikari hadn't been bothered by it but now TenTen's stuck up attitude was starting to get on her nerves, especially since Sakura had voiced her concern that the two were in love. She ran a hand through her hair. She didn't want to admit it but she was slowly starting to like Neji more each day. Hanabi picked up on how Hikari was acting. She poked her cousin who didn't bother to look up from the scroll he was reading. Hanabi didn't like TenTen.

"Go over there" She whispered

"Why?" He mouthed

"Its starting to get to her" Neji closed it "You promised me and Hinata you would talk to her"

"Fine" He got up

"I'll be back Hikari" Hanabi jumped up.

"Kay" She was absorbed in her thoughts, that was probably why she couldn't fix the food right.

"Whats wrong?" Neji asked standing next to her

"Nothing" She lied. She was chopping some vegetables

"I can tell you're lying, I don't need the Byakugan to see that"

"Just tired, that's all" She kept chopping. He put his hand over hers. She stopped

"If that's whats wrong then go get some rest, I'll cover for you" She hesitated "But that's not it is it?"

"Neji I have a question for you" She faced him, putting a hand on her hip " I have to know if you care about TenTen?"

"That's all?"

"Yes"

"That's easy then, yes I do" Hikari felt even worse but she wasn't about to let him see. She went back to chopping. Neji smirked and leaned against the counter

"What?"

"You're even prettier when you're annoyed"

"Shut up" She smiled. She found it hard to stay mad at him

"That's better and I didn't finish giving my answer"

"Then please continue" She said sarcastically. Before he could however a voice said

"Nice to see the both of you getting along. I honestly thought you would've done something outrageous by now granddaughter" They turned to the doorway to see Hiashi and his wife with Amaya Okami.

"Grandma!" She dropped what she was doing. Amaya walked over. Neji bowed but Hikari knelt. It was common practice in her family to show the proper respect to the head. She felt hands on either side of her face

"Okami Hikari I'm proud of you" She looked up meeting her grandmother's smiling face

"Hikari!" A blur ran past everyone. It latched its arms around her neck. She fell backwards a little. Looking down she saw a head of messy brown hair. A tanned face grinned at her. She realized who it was. Her crazy fourteen year old brother

"Minoru!" She wrapped her arms around him

"He wouldn't stop begging to come along and of course since he was coming your cousins wanted to come too. It was a mess" Amaya said

"We all miss you you Sis, even Hiro" He finally took notice of where he was and saw Neji standing next to her "Sis is this the asshole you're marrying? He doesn't seem as much of a punk as the last one" Amaya yanked him by the collar

"What have I told you about that mouth of yours?!" Hikari stood up.

"Dinner will be ready soon Lady Okami" Mika Hyuga said

"That's fine" She started to walk away "Come Granddaughter. We have much to discuss, Neji will you watch Minoru for me" It was more of a command than a request but he said

"Yes Lady Okami" His aunt and uncle trailed behind them.

"We're gonna have fun huh Nishi?" Minoru gave a creepy grin. Neji wondered what he'd gotten himself into.

* * *

Naruto sat outside a building on the dirt. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He rubbed his temples at the memory

"_I'll get to the point. Naruto, I've asked Hikari to through with separating you from the fox"_

"_What?!"_

"_Let me finish. I've received some information that Akatsuki is getting ready to attack. You'll be their first target. This is very important. If Hikari does this now then there's a better chance of survival, especially with me here but if they get you then…well you already know"_

"_What about Hikari?" He asked quietly_

"_Naruto as much as I'd like to give you a picture perfect scenario, I simply cant"_

"_Great"_

"_Naruto" Sakura put a hand on his shoulder_

"_It will begin in three days. You and Hikari need to get enough rest, eat properly and build up your strength. You'll need it"_

"_There's no other way Hokage?" Sai asked_

"_The other options will take care of the problem temporarily. This is the most efficient and effective" _

"_My friend will die because of me" Naruto said quietly before leaving the room_

"_Naruto!" he heard Sakura call after him_

"Whats wrong with you Uzumaki?" Neji kicked his foot

"Huh? Oh just thinking"

"May I join you?"

"Sure" He sat down beside him "How've you been?"

"Tired, I'm leaving on a mission tomorrow"

"What kind?"

"Cant talk about it"

"Oh that kind"

"What about you? I heard about your sparing match today"

"Word travels fast" He shrugged "Tsunade is working with me tomorrow and did you meet Hikari's grandma? Jiraiya couldn't say a word in front of her"

"I would've liked to see that. I did meet her earlier. Hikari is with her now"

"Speaking of Hikari, how's it going between you guys?" There was a pause then he said

"Perfect"

"Whatever Neji, you had to think about that! If it helps I think she might actually like you" Neji smirked

"And you know this because…"

"The way she gets so irritated whenever she sees TenTen with you. I think she's jealous" He grinned "How do you feel about her?"

"Maybe we can discuss that later"

"Fine Hyuga but if you hurt her…"

"You don't have to worry about that" He gave a slight smile. Naruto wondered if Neji knew what Hikari was getting ready to do.

"I need to get ready. You need to relax"

"Is it obvious?"

"Yes" He rose "Sometimes no matter how much you want to change things, you cant Uzumaki. Whatever happens know its not your fault" He and Naruto stared at each other for a minute then Naruto slowly nodded, understanding passed between them. Naruto stayed in his spot for a little bit longer when. He leaned his head against the wall behind him watching the clouds go slowly by. Suddenly something caught his eye. He sat up. A figure was standing on the roof across from him. Naruto jumped up. The figure crossed its arms as if waiting. He made a dash for the roof, landing behind the person.

"Usually you're not out during the day"

"Nice to see you too" She answered

"Tsunade said they found another body in a small village a few hours away"

"Did they now?"

"You don't have to kill in order to get your point across"

"Silly boy. You act as if there is only one way to have justice and that is thru the law, am I right?"

"That's…" He hesitated

"Speak up since you have such a great moral outlook. I'm sorry I'm not like you. Everything isn't always in black and white"

"But there has to be another way, the way they die is horrible"

"Fitting for what they've done"

"Do you even care?!"

"Not about them"

"How can you say that?"

"Come here boy" He walked slowly over "Do you see that woman down there with the child?" He saw a middle aged woman walking as if she ached with her little girl's hand in her own. He nodded "She works three jobs, two during the week and one on the weekend. You'd think she'd have enough money to pay off a small debt she owes a rich woman but she hasn't. The rich woman adds interest every day so that's its becoming impossible to pay it off. I had a visit with her last night. And see that young man?" Naruto turned his eyes to a guy walking not too far behind them. He seemed ok. "His father was killed, now he has to provide for his family. There are days when he doesn't eat just so his mother and sisters can. I ask you Naruto Uzumaki what other way is there to protect them? Obviously Konoha itself is more concerned with the demon fox and Akatsuki which have been around for awhile, then taking care of its own"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"So you don't become so absorbed in your own problems"

"You want me to kill people like you?"

"Get over the killing part boy" She growled "You're missing the point. Hikari has chosen what she will do, have you?" He knew he should've been surprised that she had knowledge about what was going on but for some reason or another he wasn't. She started to move

"The world doesn't stop because you do Naruto" She said softly "Think about it" She took a step off the roof. Naruto looked down but she had disappeared. A new determination filled him. He wasn't going to let Akatsuki win, especially with what was at stake. He wouldn't let Hikari's death be in vain.

* * *

"We'll miss you Neji!" Hanabi wrapped her arms around him. He returned the hug. His mother, uncle, aunt, cousins, along with Hikari, her brother and grandmother stood in the front room saying their goodbyes. Minoru stuck his tongue out at him which got him a hit from his grandma.

"There's nothing to worry about Hanabi, he should be back tomorrow" Hiashi tried to soothe his youngest daughter.

"But I have a bad feeling" She whispered. His mother gave him a hug then kissed him on the cheek

"I worry every time you go on a mission"

"I'll be ok" He answered. He was already dressed in his ANBU uniform minus the mask.

"Where are TenTen and Lee? Didn't they want to say bye?"

"They'll meet me at the gate"

"Have fun Nishi!" Minoru sneered

"We are going to have a talk when this is over" Amaya growled.

"Be careful" Hinata said "Remember who's out there"

"I will" He could see Hikari next to her brother. She appeared to be out of it so much that she didn't notice when her brother stuffed a spider into her pocket.

"For cryin out loud you guys act as if he's gonna die! Wait a minute…what the hell?" She saw a large black spider crawl out of her pocket "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" She started running around like she was on fire. Minoru was laughing at her. Hanabi giggled Amaya rolled her eyes.  
"Whats wrong with her?" Mika asked. They were all surprised because no matter how much she tried to get it off, the spider hung on as if its life depended on it.

"My lovely granddaughter has a great fear of spiders" She snapped her fingers. The two women appeared "Please take care of that"

"Yes Lady Okami" They bowed. One tripped Hikari. As she fell the spider flew into the air. The second women sent a needle through it, killing it. The first one grabbed the back of Hikari's shirt just before she hit the ground.

"Thanks" She mumbled. They disappeared as fast as they had come.

"You're such a baby!" Minoru kept laughing. Hinata walked over to see if she was alright.

"Hikari walk with me" Neji said

"I don't feel like it" She groaned

"Go with your husband young lady" Mika Hyuga said "You need to spend more time with him anyway". Noriko Hyuga nodded in agreement

"Grandma?"

"Do what she says".

Hikari tried to keep her mind on anything except for how she had embarrassed herself a few minutes before. She watched a few birds above her. One was jet black. Hikari squinted her eyes at it. She'd never seen a bird like it before. It was larger than the others, she guessed it was the size of a hawk It flew to a branch. After looking around its gaze fell on her. It squawked. She had seen that bird somewhere before.

"Hikari how do you feel?"

"Huh? Oh, great"

"Will you go out with me when I return?"

"Yeah, sure" She blinked "Wait, are you asking me out?"

"That's what some people call it"

"Why?"

"You mean besides the fact that we're getting married?"

"Smartass" She grumbled. They were near the gate. He stopped.

"We haven't spent much time together since you've been here, except when you're doing those lessons. I want to know more about you"

"Guess that's ok" He brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She felt her face heating up _I feel like Hinata._

"Hikari, I..."

"Neji!" Lee called out. He and TenTen made their way over. He frowned. Hikari couldn't be sure but it had sounded like he had cursed.

"We'll finish this later" He whispered. He let her hand go.

"Hikari! You are very lovely today" Lee said

"Thanks"

"Neji your captain wants to talk with all ANBU before they go on this mission" TenTen said. She ignored Hikari

"I'll be back then" He was gone in a poof of smoke. Lee could sense the tension between the girls.

"Nice weather isn't it?" He asked

"Perfect" TenTen answered "Neji is not going to marry you"

"Tell me something new" Lee tried to figure a way to diffuse the situation.

"You're no good for him"

"And you are?"

"Yes, for one his family loves me"

"That's news to me" TenTen balled up her fist

"Why don't you go home?"

"Why don't you get a life?" Hikari's eyes changed to gray. The wind began to blow. She heard Sasuke calling her in the distance. She heard Akane shouting for her to look at the sky. She pulled her eyes away from TenTen long enough to see the black bird from earlier. It squawked. Then she remembered where she'd seen it.

"Okami you idiot! Do you know whose bird that is?! I've been trying to find you all day!" Akane yelled. Hikari smiled and held her arm out. TenTen took a few steps back as the bird landed on her arm. There was a note attached to its leg. She pulled it off then read it. Her smile became bigger

_I'm almost to Konoha, try not to get into any fights until then. By the way you have a lot to answer for, ditching me like you did. We're supposed to be best friends right? Oh yeah and tell Akane she owes me money for those heels she had me buy. _

_Jin_

Tsunade stood at her window watching what was going on below. Hikari was jumping up and down excitedly. Akane was trying to calm her down. TenTen had walked off in a huff. Lee had gone in the opposite direction. Sasuke seemed bored but what else was new? She rubbed her eyes. She knew this battle coming up would be the final one between her people and Akatsuki. A lot was on the line. She wondered if Naruto would be ready. They had to be ready within the next few days. She had a feeling Akatsuki would know when the separation was going to take place and if that was the case then they'd be striking very soon. She had to see the Leaf village through this. She heard a sound behind her. Thinking it was Shizune she said

"I'm leaving early, I told Naruto I'd give him an answer today on whether he made ANBU or not"

"I'm not Shizune" Tsunade whirled around to find the masked woman many people were afraid of in her office, dressed all in black.

"What do you want? I should have you thrown in prison right now!"

"But you wont because I have come to offer my services Lady Hokage"

"What do you mean?"

"I feel the time has come to show you who I am" She removed her mask. Tsunade gasped.

A note from me: Remember in the last chap when Miya was shown to be the masked woman and Hikari said it was more like a partnership? There are two of the ladies, so who is the second one?


	10. Chapter 10

Early the next morning found Naruto and Tsunade at one of the training grounds. The sun was just starting to rise and both were exhausted having been there since four. Sakura sat on the side yawning and trying to stay awake. Tsunade was teaching him how to heal certain points. She didn't think you had to be a medic-nin in order to able to do the basics. Sakura stretched. She'd still be sleep if she wasn't worried which was why she'd followed them down to the area. She wished Naruto would go get some rest but she knew he wouldn't. Honestly Sakura didn't understand why he was training so hard, it wasn't like Akatsuki had made a move yet. Naruto finally yawned and collapsed on the ground. Tsunade was talking but he wasn't listening. A gentle breeze began to blow. Suddenly the howl of a wolf was heard. Tsunade and Sakura looked around but Naruto kept his gaze on the sky. One cloud in particular began to take shape, forming into a giant wolf with wings that seemed to move on its own. Naruto rubbed his eyes, it was gone. Had he been dreaming? He decided he did need some rest after all

"Guys I'm gonna go home now, I'm tired"

"Ok, I'll be over to check on you later" Tsunade said

"Me too" Added Sakura. With a wave he was gone.

He was almost home when he decided to go by the little pier. He remembered seeing Sasuke sitting there when they were younger. As he walked by he saw the Uchiha just like all those years ago. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. He wasn't alone. Hikari's crazy brother was sitting next to him with a handful of rocks that he was throwing into the water. Naruto wanted to talk but he hesitated. He felt a poke in his side

"Hey Naruto" Hikari said. She glanced from him to Sasuke to him again. A smile crept on her face

"Don't you dare" He whispered

"SASUKE! You have a visitor!" Both turned to see Naruto. Minoru whispered something to his cousin then got up and walked over.

"Hey Blondie, you still gonna show around the village later? Sasuke's being lazy"

"Sure" he gave an evil glare to Hikari.

"Well bratty brother lets go find Grandma" Naruto headed for Sasuke, taking a seat where Minoru had just been. Naruto had tried talking to him once when he was in the hospital but he didn't get very far before Shizune had come and told him he was needed elsewhere. 

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked wearily.

"Just to visit" He swung his legs back and forth. None of his friends dealt with Sasuke, even Ino who'd had a crush on him. In fact most of them thought he should be banned from the village

"Sakura's worried about you"

"Same for you" Sasuke answered

"She never told me that"

"She doesn't have to"

"There's nothing to worry about"

"You should explain that to her then"

"She wont listen, you never told me what you think of Sai?"

"The guy who replaced me?"

"Yep"

"He's ok" There was a pause "He doesn't balance the group out though"

"Why's that?"

"None of my looks" Sasuke smirked. Naruto laughed

"Real funny, like you have any of that in the first place" He laid down on his back "Honestly Sasuke I missed you, we all did"

"I know"

"That's why I kept chasing you, well that and the fact I promised Sakura but shhhhhh" He held his fingers to his lips "Don't mention that to her. Ino did it once casually and she broke down in tears"

"You should've let me go"

"If the role was reversed and I was the one leaving would you have let me go?" He propped himself on his elbows watching him.

"No" Sasuke whispered

"There you go then"

"Naruto…if I had to do it over again I'd still leave" He sighed "But I would've done it differently. I wouldn't have fought you, I would've tried to talk to you and Sakura first"

"I have nightmares sometimes about that first fight we had at the valley"

"Me too" Naruto was a little taken aback to hear him admit that to him "I don't expect to gain your friendship and trust back easily Naruto but I wont give up until I have" Sasuke turned to him "You were like my brother after all". Naruto didn't know what to say so instead of talking he gave Sasuke a hug

"Friends?" He asked

"Always" Sasuke answered. Naruto broke the hug and went back to watching the clouds.

"There you are!" Sakura panted up to them. 

"Whats wrong with you?" Naruto asked

"Lady Tsunade decided to train me after you left. She wouldn't let up" she sat on the other side of Sasuke "What are you guys doing?"

"Nothing"

"I'm gonna try that for awhile" She laid on her back like Naruto and watched the clouds. Sasuke did the same "That one looks like Naruto" She pointed

"You two forget we were supposed to get breakfast?" Sai asked standing over them

"Sorry" Naruto grinned

"Yeah, the Hokage had us this morning"

"Sai" Sasuke said

"Sasuke" He copied them, lying next to Naruto 

"Besides you hate mornings anyway and probably would've just slept at the table" Sakura said

"You're right"

"You guys that cloud right there looks like a bowl of ramen!" Naruto pointed

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked

"Yeah?"

"Shut up"

"What? It does! Hey Sakura remember when Hikari poured that ramen on Sai?" They started laughing

"Why'd she do that?" Sasuke asked

"Because she's crazy and has issues" Sai answered. Sasuke's own laughter joined them after Sakura told him what happened. No one paid attention to the fact that they had never heard him do that before or that it was softer than theirs. Sai smiled. Finally his friends could be truly happy without worrying about the Uchiha. Hearing them laugh together instead of fight was something he could definitely get used to.

* * *

Meanwhile Neji had just returned from his mission. He was exhausted since his team had been allowed no rest. As he walked through the door he dropped his mask, then came the few weapons he carried. He pulled off his forehead protector and pulled the band from his hair. All he wanted to do was sleep.

"Neji! You're back!" Hanabi wrapped her arms around him.

"Uh huh" His eyes started to close. Hanabi wasn't paying attention 

"Everyone's going be so happy, especially since today's your birthday and no one thought you'd be back before tomorrow"

"That's nice"

"And Hikari is practicing this really pretty dance for you, come on" Before he could protest she was dragging him down the hall to a room they used for meetings. They stopped at the door. He heard talking from the other side "You have to be quiet" She whispered slowly opening the door. He saw the backs of his aunt, mother, Hinata and Minoru who were all facing the front watching Hikari who was wearing a light blue kimono with slits up each side, showing her legs. Her hair was pinned up. Bracelets dangled on her wrists. Her grandmother stood off to the side

"Now I want you to go through the entire thing. Ladies" She looked to the two women who had come with her, both still wearing identical kimonos. One had a type of small stringed instrument "Stay on beat Granddaughter. Begin now" The woman played and Hikari danced. It was slow and quiet. The way she danced snapped Neji out of his sleep daze for a few minutes. He started to walk into the room

"No!" Hanabi hissed "You cant go in there, I'm gonna get in trouble" He didn't care. Neji stayed near the back watching. Unfortunately Hikari saw him and stopped.

"Whats wrong?" Amaya asked. Hikari eyes got big and her face turned a bright red. Amaya finally saw what she did. She grinned "Well ladies it seems Neji has seen the dance before he was supposed to"

"My son!" His mother jumped from her seat, racing over and hugging him "You look tired, doesn't he Mika?"

"Yes he does" His aunt answered walking over

"That dance" Neji said

"Was for your wedding night but you got a sneak peek" Lady Okami took out her fan "Hanabi must've shown you, she was whining earlier about how it wouldn't hurt for you to see this now" Hanabi stayed behind the door holding her breath.

"Can I see it again?" Neji asked

"Sorry but no, its an old Okami tradition. You'll have to wait". He glanced at Hikari who was trying to hide her embarrassment. Though he knew he should've left he walked over to her. He could hear Hinata giggling at the look of horror that appeared on Hikari's face.

"Welcome your husband young lady" Mika Hyuga said. Lady Okami nodded. Hikari gave him a quick hug not expecting to be hugged back. He whispered in her ear

"Dance for me later Hikari when there aren't so many people around" She blushed harder pulling away. Neji smirked, then his eyes closed and he collapsed.

"NEJI!" His mother screamed

"Calm down" His aunt felt his pulse and checked his breathing

"Tsunade said he and his team had to keep constant surveillance on an individual. Sleep was not allowed"

"That means he hasn't gotten proper rest in a couple of days right?" Hinata asked as she brushed hair out of his face

"Exactly, he's tired nothing more" Lady Okami kept fanning herself

"And here I thought he fainted because he realized how ugly Hikari is up close. I mean its so bad I've been tempted on several occasions to make her wear a paper bag over her head"

"You snot nosed brat!" Hikari chased him around the room

"Hmmmm…what do you think Neji said to make her blush like she did?" Mika asked

"Something inappropriate probably" His mother sighed "His father was that way".

"Happy Birthday Neji!" Everyone shouted. They were all crowded into the main room waiting for dinner to be served. All of his friends and family were there. TenTen was still blatantly flirting with him. Hikari rolled her eyes, taking a seat on the floor to watch. Naruto joined her a few minutes later stuffing his mouth with cake.

"Where'd you get that from?"

"Hinata let me have a taste" Naruto saw TenTen "What are ya going to do about her?"

"Nothing"

"Nothing?"

"Yep, not worth the trouble"

"Sooooo are you and Neji in love yet?"

"Ha! No"

"Answered too fast"

"Shut up, I like him a lot but that's it. I guess love will come one day"

"Where's Sasuke?"

"Couldn't take life anymore, killed himself"

"Has anyone ever told you that you have a dark sense of humor?"

"Many times" She poked Naruto on the arm "Hiashi bother you yet?"

"Nope"

"Good"

"Minoru was messing with the cake when I left the kitchen, just a warning you might not want to eat it"

"I wasn't going to"

"Oh yeah that's what I was supposed to do" He grinned sheepishly

"What?"

"Lady Hyuga wanted you to get the present she got for Neji out of the closet across from his room. She said its on the top shelf"

"Great" She stood up "I'll be right back"

"Ok"

Five minutes later she had made it to the closet and was searching though it but couldn't find the present

"She mustve put it someplace else" She was in the process of giving up when she heard what sounded like a chair being moved coming from Neji's room. She tiptoed quietly over. She slid the door open a crack to see

"NEJI!" He was standing over his desk reading a scroll

"Yes?"

"Weren't you at the party?" She stepped inside

"Clone" He started to write something down

"You have a clone at your own birthday party? I thought I'd seen everything" She mumbled "What are you doing?" She walked over

"ANBU" She nodded. She walked around his room. It amazed her that a guy with his personality had the messiest room. She made her way in front of a bookcase, grabbed a book then went back and sat on his bed. Hikari must've fallen asleep because the next thing she knew she felt blankets being pulled over her.

A couple of hours later everyone was leaving. Naruto's suspicions of Minoru had been correct. As soon as 'Neji' went to blow out the candles it exploded sending cake flying everywhere. Before he could get away his grandma had yanked him up by the collar. No one was angry however, so he was let off the hook. Naruto was getting ready to walk home with Sakura when he remembered Hikari

"Wait Sakura we gotta find her first"

"When you'd last see her?"

"An hour ago I think. She had to go get Neji's birthday present"

"All right Naruto, you wait here"

"Why?"

"Because you don't know your way around the house, besides Kiba is making his way over and will probably want to discuss how nervous he was in front of Hinata" She darted before he could stop her. After asking around she decided to have Hinata search with her. They checked the different rooms. As they went down one hall they came to Neji's room

"We've searched everywhere else, it wouldn't hurt" Hinata said

"I guess" They didn't expect anything since they'd just seen Hinata's cousin talking with Lee. Sakura opened the door. There was Hikari sleeping in his bed and Neji sitting at his desk looking over scrolls. 

"Neji?" Hinata squeaked

"Yes?"

"Whats going on!" Sakura slid the door open all the way

"She fell asleep"

"Naruto and I are getting ready to leave, we wanted her to come with us" 

"I wouldn't"

"Whatever" She snorted striding to the bed "Hikari wake up" She pushed her a little bit but that didn't work. Sakura tried again, still nothing. A head poked out from the blankets. Sakura let out a yelp. Icee's white head looked up at her.

"Neji help me out"

"She'll be fine Sakura, go home"

"But…" Hinata put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly "Alright, you better take care of her" They left, closing the door "How am I going to explain this to Sasuke?"

"Tell the truth"

"Yeah, he'd love to hear that his cousin is sleeping in Neji's room for the night" Hinata giggled "How does that wolf do that?"  
"What do you mean?"

"I promise Hinata when we first went in there the only shape I saw was Hikari's. Then he popped out"

"She"

"Huh?

"She popped out, everyone keeps calling Icee a 'he' when 'he' is clearly a 'she'. It annoys Kiba to no end"

"What else annoys Kiba?"

"Oh different things…" She stopped, a blush spreading over her face. Sakura laughed 

"Lets go, Naruto is probably getting ready to have a heart attack"

Tsunade paced in her office the next afternoon. It was the day. The day for the seperation. To say she was worried was an understatement. Hikari and Naruto were supposed to meet her in a couple of minutes. She glanced at the clock. They needed to get it done with. She opened her door, walking down the hall. She stopped at her destination. She entered to see Hikari and Naruto in the center of the room. Lady Okami, Akane Tora along with Minoru, Sasuke, Sakura and Sai stood with her. The Hyugas stood on the other side. Kakashi and Jiraiya stood near the door waiting for her

"Ready?" She asked. They nodded. "Go for it". Silence filled the room as Hikari's eyes closed. Though there were no windows in the room a strong wind began to blow. It circled around Naruto and Hikari. A large wolf formed by the wind hovered over them then it howled. Naruto screamed.

A lone shinobi raced through Konoha. He had an important message. He knew there were orders not to disturb the Hokage but he had to. He made it to the room she was in but was stopped by two higher ranking shinobi.

"The Hokage is not to be disturbed"

"I realize that but this is important"

"How important?"

"Akatsuki" The two shinobi looked at each other then stepped aside. The ninja hesitantly made his way in. The first that hit him was the silence, the next was the sobs of different people. He saw a young woman lying on the floor. She didn't appear to be breathing. Sasuke Uchiha was holding her head in his lap. The ninja couldn't be sure but it looked as if tears were coming down his face. He recognized Naruto who was sobbing and the pink haired girl who was the Hokage's apprentice was talking to him. Neji Hyuga was off to himself. An older woman with gray hair, he remembered her as Lady Okami, had an arm around a young boy who whose crying was filling the room. He didn't know what to do. The Hokage finally noticed him. She gave him a glare

"What!" She snapped

"I…uh…"

"I'm not going to ask again" Her voice lowered. He took a breath

"Akatsuki is here" Her eyes got big

"Not now" She rubbed her eyes. The ninja was preparing to leave when he saw a baby fox off to the side. A white wolf was nudging it with its nose, as if trying to wake it up. He almost told the Hokage about it but he didn't want to get snapped at again.

A note from me- Yes! I'm almost done. One or two chapters more should do it. I know this was a little short but the next one should make up for that. I'm a little sad though...March Madness is here and the Buckeyes didnt make it. Oh well :(


	11. Chapter 11

A note from me- almost there! i'm so happy. anyway this memory that Naruto has was before Sasuke came back when he still lived with Hikari. i did this chapter a little different. it will jump from one person of person to another. sorry if its confusing.

"_Naruto?"_

"_Yeah?" He mumbled half sleep_

"_Can I come in here for a bit?" Hikari asked. He sat up and yawned. She stood in the doorway. He waved her over. She laid down on the other half of the bed, lying on her side. Naruto did the same facing her. For a while they stared at each other until he said_

"_Nightmare?"_

"_Yeah"_

"_Wanna talk about it?" She took in a breath_

"_Not really" More silence "You know how you I reminded you of Sasuke at first?"_

"_Yep"_

"_You remind me of Jin"_

"_Akane's mentioned him, who is he" Naruto already knew him but he didn't s ay that_

"_Best friend, he's really determined like you and has blue eyes but he doesn't talk as much as you, actually he doesn't talk at all"_

"_You make him mad?"_

"_No" She rolled her eyes "He saw his mother die when he was younger, hasn't talked since"_

"_He's silent all the time?!"_

"_Not all the time, but mostly yes. He's pretty intelligent too"_

"_What like a shinobi prodigy or something?"_

"_Noooo, I mean wise as in old guy smart. He knows stuff that you'd think itd take your whole life to learn. Besides he hates fighting, couldn't be a shinobi"_

"_That picture on your dresser of two little girls and a blue haired boy was him, you and…"_

"_Don't say it"_

"_Akane" He grinned "You guys don't hate each other like everybody thinks right?"_

"_You figured it out, we've known each other since birth" She paused "The nightmare…_

_it's about Sasuke" Her eyes saddened_

"_About seeing him again?"_

"_No, he and Itachi were fighting…when it came time to kill him Sasuke couldn't. Itachi killed him instead" Her voice caught in her throat. "Promise me something Naruto"_

"_What?" He asked quietly. In the short time that he'd known her he'd never seen her this upset._

"_If it ever comes down to what I said, where Sasuke cant kill Itachi, then you do it"_

"_But Hikari what are the chances that I'll actually be there when that happens? We aren't exactly on speaking terms and he'd have a heart attack. He's trained most of his life to do this"_

"_I don't know…just…watch out for him Naruto please"_

"_Ok"_

"_Promise?" Naruto had come to learn that Hikari had a thing about promises_

"_Yes, I promise"_

"_Thanks"_

Naruto frowned at the memory. That was the last thing he wanted to think about though he had kept it to himself that he already knew Jin. He'd been the traveling partner of the man Team 7 had been assigned to escort and who had eventually trained him. He and Jin Ichiwa hated each other but Naruto had decided not to tell Hikari that. He was now wishing that he had. The wind blew his hair in different directions. He knocked out another man. Te battle had started almost as soon as the shinobi had delivered his message. Tsunade had dispatched everyone but had left three kunoichi to watch over Hikari's body. She had made it known that if anything happened to it she would personally punish them. Another man came at Naruto, he got rid of him by punching him into a building. He looked around. They were everywhere. He saw a few of his friends fighting. Without a second thought he raced to help them.

* * *

Sakura was cut on her arm but she didn't let it stop her. She delivered a punch to the stomach of the guy who did it.

"You ok?" Ino shouted pushing her opponent away

"I will be" Sakura ripped a piece of her shirt and tied it around the wound. She grabbed a rubberband out of her pocket and pulled her hair back. Now she was ready.

* * *

Lady Okami stood on a rooftop with the two women. She watched the fighting going on below. So far not one Akatsuki member had been spotted. The wind blew stronger. Akane appeared behind them. She knelt

"Lady Okami"

"Akane, don't worry. Hikari told me about her decision. Take care of my wolves"

"Yes Lady Okami" She was gone. In the distance the roar or a tiger could be heard.

"There are people here who aren't shinobi. Protect them" She said. The women nodded. Each going in a different direction. A few minutes later a young man stood beside her. His light blue eyes watching the scene below him. He was tall and lanky yet muscular. He was dressed as a Leaf shinobi with a sword on his back. His light blue hair was short and spiky. Amaya finally said

"Jin you're here" He nodded. "Hikari is inside the Hokage Tower. Get her back to Suna. Tell Gaara he is to keep her there until I myself come and get her" He stayed silent

"Will you fight?" He quietly asked

"Am I an Okami?" She raised an eyebrow. Jin smiled. He turned to leave "I don't have to tell you to care of my Granddaughter do I?"

"No because I always will" With that he disappeared. Amaya took out her fan. She had been watching long enough.

* * *

Sasuke drove his sword through another one. He hadn't even broken a sweat yet. He blew a few strands of hair out of his face. Akatsuki was getting nowhere. These 'shinobi' weren't as skilled as he'd thought they'd be but there were so many that he knew eventually people would begin to tire. He saw Naruto in the distance fighting alongside Sai. Sasuke yawned. He was getting bored.

* * *

Tsunade and Jiraiya stood among the chaos talking. Well occasionally someone would disturb their conversation and they'd have to be dealt with but for the most part they were being left alone.

"They're trying to wear us down before the real battle begins" Jiraiya stated solemnly

"I figured that. Where do you think they found an army this size?"

"I honestly have no idea. I cant think of anyone in their right mind who would help them out"

"Maybe this is a new jutsu or…" She didn't finish because the roar of a tiger could be heard. "Amazing, look Jiraiya" She pointed ahead of them. Slowly tigers were appearing; they stalked the ninjas then attacked. None were harming the Leaf shinobi. In the midst of four large tigers a woman walked with a man. The man was slightly older and limped. The woman was pale with bright red hair and wearing an elegant red kimono.

"Ahhh, Akane's parents" Jiraiya smiled "I didn't realize they were still in town"

"I don't understand"

"Come on Tsunade, you've been reading that book of yours"

"Yes but none of its true"

"That's where you're wrong. The Toras family symbol is the tiger, the Okami's is the wolf"

"All of that was correct?!" She remembered Lady Okami's comment about her marrying into one of the clans but she handt paid it any attention.

"Afraid so, I thought you would've guessed that by now"

"Less talking and more hitting" She said to hide her embarrassment. She was the Hokage and yet she hadn't even known about the existence of these supposed mythological clans. She raced off leaving a confused Toad Sage behind her.

"What did I do now?" He scratched his head. He loved to look at women but he didn't think he'd ever understand them.

* * *

The last of the shinobi had been taken care of. Shouts of joy rang through the village. Sasuke, Naruto and Sai stood near the gates of Konoha.

"This is far from over" Sasuke gazed around.

"Uh huh" Naruto sat down to catch his breath "Whatever you say"

"Seriously this was too easy"

"Too easy?!"

"Sasuke's right" Sai answered "Something isn't right" As if on cue ninjas dressed entirely in black entered the town. They marched throughout Konoha, filling it. They didn't attack, didn't speak, some didn't even seem to breathe. Naruto stood up. The ninjas directly in front of them kept their eyes on them. Naruto was beginning to feel uneasy. They were only a few feet apart. Itachi appeared in front of them

"I see Hikari has removed it already" Naruto growled. He still looked the same, whisker marks and all. He wondered how Itachi knew. Itachi turned his attention to Sasuke "I will kill Naruto in front of you little brother and then we can talk". Sasuke's pulled Naruto behind him. Sai stood next to him

"Hey I don't need to be protected" Naruto frowned.

"This is cute, but not necessary Sasuke. If only Hikari had listened to me then we wouldn't be in this situation"

"Itachi you talk too damn much" Sai dove towards him.

* * *

Neji, TenTen, Lee and Guy stood in a circle ready.

"Guy sensei, why have these shinobi not attacked us yet?" Lee asked

"Not sure but they seem unlike the other ones"

"They're everywhere, I cant see anybody from our side" TenTen said

"I don't care how many there are, they will still not win" Neji's eyes were closed

"Very well said. Remember all that you've learned my students and should I not make it I want you three to know it has been an honor serving as your sensei" Guy gave his nice guy smile.

"That was so beautiful Guy sensei" Tears came out of Lee's eyes "I feel the exact same way"

"Of course you do Lee. There is one thing I'd like to ask of you"

"What is that sensei?" Lee's eyes lit up

"When you are married and have children I want you to teach them the same things that I have taught you"

"Of course sensei!" They started crying. TenTen rolled her eyes. Neji tried to hide a smirk. He'd never shown it, he had always thought Lee and Guy as odd. He still had respect for them though. They were excellent fighters and friends.

"Get ready everyone" TenTen pulled kunai out. One of the shinobi shouted

"Welcome to your death Leaf village!" They moved to attack.

"No welcome to yours" Neji's eyes opened revealing the Byakugan.

* * *

Sakura and Ino had their backs against each other, fending off their opponents. Ino was beginning to get tired. Her knees gave way.

"Ino get up!"

"Too tired" she tried to stand but fell back down. Sakura kicked and punched a few more guys before saying

"Get up right now!" Ino slowly got back to her feet "Don't do that again!". She nodded.

* * *

Hinata had lost track of Kiba and Shino but she continued to fight. She fought and fought and fought but the shinobi were more skilled than the others. Much more. One punched her to the ground then picked her up by the hair. She was bruised and tired. She wanted to sleep. The man pulled out a kunai.

* * *

Kiba was on his back with a foot pushing him into the dirt. He coughed then looked around for Akamaru. He saw him lying still, blood trickling from somewhere.

"AKAMARU!" He screamed struggling to get up.

"You will soon join him" A voice said.

* * *

Hanabi and Minoru had done as best as they could at protecting the Hyuga mansion. Unlike many of the other buildings it hadn't gone up in flames. The two panted outside. Hanabi was grabbed roughly by her arm.

"Mino!" She yelled. He growled

"Leave her alone!" He moved but was grabbed from behind

"She's quite pretty" The one holding her said. Minoru's eyes got big. He struggled more, cursing the guys at the same time

"You touch her dumbass and I'll kill you. Son of a bitch! Let me go! Damnit!"

"What a mouth on you, hold him down"

"No!" He kicked. The other man pushed Hanabi to the ground. She screamed.

* * *

Jin Ichiwa stood on the Hokage tower watching. He held in his arms Hikari's body. The wind began to pick up. He waited until he saw his black hawk flying above him.

"Now" He whispered. For a few seconds nothing happened then the sound of flapping filled the air. Thousands of birds came into view. They headed towards the battle.

"Your turn Akane" He raced out of the village

* * *

Birds joined the tigers in the attack. The scratched, clawed, bit and squawked. Akane Tora sat in a tree enjoying it. Jin and his family had trained them well but she still had her part to do. She couldn't believe that Hikari had trusted her enough to do this. No outsider could summon Okami wolves. She saw her mother and father in the distance. They were fighting side by side the Leaf ninjas. She hoped that Hikari hadn't misplaced her faith in her. Her baby tiger purred at her feet. She stood straight, remembering how Hikari had taught her to do it. She leaned her back and let loose an unearthly howl. She stopped. Through all the noise she heard it, a howl in response.

* * *

Hanabi tired to push the man off of her but he was stronger. She heard Minoru yelling. She kept at it until the man had to hold her wrists.

"What is that?" The one holding Minoru asked

"Whats what?" The other snapped

"That" The pointed to the sky. The other one followed his finger. The birds had parted. In fact they weren't even attacking anymore. The tigers had also backed off. In the sky the wind was whipping and flowing around a giant creature. It was in the shape of a wolf with giant wings to match. The wolf was beginning to change into a human. Minoru smiled

"You fuckers are in for it now"

* * *

Hinata wondered why she didn't feel the metal against her. She opened her eyes to see the shinobi holding her by the hair was looking up. His grip had loosened. She pulled away and prepared to attack but he kept his eyes up. In fact everyone was. She did the same and saw a woman floating above them. Her long black hair flowed around her. Her tanned skin seemed to glow. Her face was that of an angel.

* * *

Kiba had managed to get away from his opponent. He was kneeling near Akamaru who he thought was dead. Tears started to fall. Then anger replaced that. He jumped to his feet to fight when he heard a voice above him

"For all of you who don't know me, let me introduce myself. I am the Great Wolf and Guardian of the Okami clan. I am not one for words so let me say this" A bloodcurdling roar came from her. Wolves appeared snarling.

* * *

Tsunade couldn't believe it. After the woman had done that she'd disappeared, screams taking her place. The wolves were rabidly attacking the ninja without mercy. She took a step back from a man who collapsed in front of her.

* * *

Naruto was in shock as much as anyone else. Itachi had been on the verge of killing him when she had appeared out of nowhere. He tried to get up but couldn't. Itachi's ninja had managed to keep Sasuke and Sai away but now they werent a problem anymore.

"Get away from him" Sasuke said racing towards his brother. Itachi moved and knocked his sword out of his hand. The two of them started to go at it. Naruto looked at the sword. Could he do it if Sasuke couldn't? A white wolf appeared next to him

"Icee" he whispered

"_That was Hikari's nickname for me"_ Naruto's eyes grew wide. He must've been hearing things. _"Yes I can talk boy but I don't have much time. The fox left much of his chakra in you. Use it"_

"Are you…are you the wolf?"

"_Yes"_

"And the masked woman?" There was a pause and for a second Naruto thought he was imagining things. When he'd seen the woman in the sky she had reminded him of the other one.

"_You are not as oblivious as they all think, yes I am the woman and the wolf but right now you have to get up. Look at Sasuke"_ Naruto did as he was told. He saw Itachi grab his friend by the throat.

"You will never be able to kill me little brother, you're too weak"

"_Sasuke almost did it while you were down but he hesitated and that was all Itachi needed. He knows Sasuke cant kill him though he has constantly trained and pushed himself in order to accomplish that goal. The fact remains the Itachi is still his big brother, Sasuke loves him Naruto. He is not weak, he is only human"_ Naruto understood. He'd have to do it. He stood though it hurt.

"_Funnel the chakra of yours and the foxes' into the sword. Drive it through him"_ He nodded. The wolf walked over and picked up the sword in its mouth then brought it back to Naruto. He took it. He'd probably have one chance at this while Itachi's distracted. He made his way over until he was some feet behind him. Itachi had Sasuke in the air by the throat. Naruto didn't think he could do it then Sasuke saw him. Their eyes locked. He nodded slightly. Red chakra began to flow around Naruto. His eyes turned red. He growled, running so fast that by the time Itachi realized what was going on it was too late. The sword pierced him. Naruto let go. Itachi fell on his knees. His breathing slowed. Naruto looked at the blood on his hands then at Sasuke who was rubbing his throat. Naruto had no idea of what that attack had done but the wolf did.

* * *

Tsunade surveyed the scene before her. Akatsuki's forces had been beaten, they had been driven out of Konoha. Bodies littered the ground. She hoped that she hadn't lost too many people. She sighed. As she walked she saw a baby fox peaking out from under a body. Tsunade bent down to pick it up

"Don't worry little guy, you can come with me"

"_Little guy?! How dare you human! I will have you know that I am the Nine tailed fox! You will respect me!" _Tsunade decided to ignore that thinking it was her mind playing tricks on her. She needed a drink.

* * *

That was it. Naruto was still in shock. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He'd managed to stop Itachi. His gaze fell to Sasuke who was watching him. Naruto held a hand out helping him up.

"Sasuke…I…"

"Its ok, its over" Sasuke knelt at his brothers body. He pulled the sword from him. Naruto understood that he needed some time alone. He decided to find the rest of his friends. It was hard to walk, there were bodies everywhere. He hoped none were people he knew. He spotted Sakura holding Ino up in the distance and was almost there when a kick sent him flying backwards. As soon as he landed he felt a sharp pain. He sat up slowly. A figure stood over him.

"Uzumaki Naruto, how are you?" Kisame grinned "I warned Itachi to wait but he wanted to end this, Uchihas can be impatient don't you think?"

"What do you want?" He growled getting back to his feet

"Our leader wanted you dead for all the trouble you've caused. We have all the demons except yours. You can imagine how upset he is."

"Where's the rest of the losers?"

"Around, preparing to decimate the village. I merely came to get Itachi. We've been working on a new jutsu. The blast will kill everyone in Konohagakure. Sounds fun doesn't it? But now I must leave"

"_You will go nowhere!"_ Icee appeared, with teeth bared.

"I must be hearing things" He said

"_No you're not filthy human. I am the Great Wolf that you saw earlier and I have a message for you to deliver"_

"And what would that be?"

"_Tell your precious leader that I am temporary guardian of this village now. For him to try and attack it would be suicide. As we speak the remaining Akatsuki members outside are being attacked by my wolves. Death is waiting for them unless they go" _A worried look came over his face. _"Your pathetic group will probably go back home and find another way to implement your plan but it wont work. The demons have been released while you were gone. They are very angry. Besides that your great Uchiha is alive but will never be the same. Naruto has no idea of what he did. The chakra of the foxes' runs through Itachi's body slowly killing him, you see the chakra traveled from Naruto into the sword then into Itachi's body. Not everyone can carry a beast like that. Itachi is too weak so the chakra is killing him. Isnt that ironic? You have until five to get out. One. Two. Five!"_ Kisame disappeared.

"Thanks" Naruto fell backwards onto the dirt "Do you think Hikari would be happy?"

"_Yes I do boy, close your eyes"_ Naruto did and fell instantly asleep. The wolf surveyed the area then let loose a final howl.

A couple of hours had passed. Konoha was being cleaned up. Sasuke used his fireball jutsu to burn the bodies. Others were burying them outside the village. Everyone was hurt in one way or another. Sakura took Ino to the hospital to heal a bad cut she'd gotten. Neji had taken Lee to her, he'd been knocked unconscious and had a broken arm. Hanabi had managed to find her mother, then the two went in search of the rest of their family. After much wailing and crying from Kiba, Shino felt Akamaru's pulse and told his friend the dog wasn't dead. Jiraiya and Kakashi worked on putting out the fires that had started. Naruto had been taken to the hospital lobby by Sai. A nurse looked him over and helped heal his not so serious wounds. Naruto leaned back in the chair. Tsunade came in holding a fox

"Naruto you should hear this"

"Hear what?"

"_Me you wretched human! Why am I shown no respect?! _ The fox snapped. Naruto was awake now. He'd already dealt with a talking wolf so a talking fox didn't seem so out there.

"He left much of his power inside of you Naruto. When he was sepearated he went into this baby form. He only has one tail. He says that he'll regain his full power soon but until then has to stay in this form" Naruto didn't say anything then burst into laughter

"This is that dumb nine tailed fox?!" He walked over picking it up the scruff of its neck. It tried to bite him "This is great!"

"_Laugh now human but I will kill you when I regain my strength!" _

"He's so cute. This is gonna be fun" Naruto tried to hold him but he kept clawing him. Tsunade smiled. A very exhausted Sasuke and Sai entered the lobby. Both collapsed in a seat. Sakura came in a few minutes later followed by Hinata, Ino, Kiba and the others. Everyone had gathered at the hospital. As Tsunade went over damages with Shizune she was happy to find out not one Leaf villager was killed, there were injuries but no one died.

"Lady Tsunade" She turned to see the three kunochi that had been assigned to watch Hikari's body. The blonde who had called her looked scared

"Whats wrong?"

"We tried but…she's gone"

"What?!" Silence filled the room "I told you to watch her, why was that hard?"

"I'm sorry Hokage but it wasn't our fault"

"Wasn't your fault?!" Shizune put a hand on her shoulder.

"You just let Akastuki take her?!" Sasuke was beyond angry.

"Akastuki?" Confusion clouded her features "No, not Akatsuki. A blue haired young man dressed as a Leaf shinobi"

"Was he sorta tall with short spiky hair?" Naruto asked

"Yes"

"Naruto you know him?" Tsunade asked

"Ichiwa Jin" Sakura answered "He traveled with the man we were assigned to escort. He and Naruto couldn't get along if their lives depended on it"

"He simply came in and took her?"

"Not exactly, he knelt next to her body then put an ear to her heart and a hand on her stomach. At first we didn't understand what was going on then we saw the chakra leaving him and going into her"

"Amazing, Lady Hokage he was jumpstarting her heart with his own chakra. I've always heard of this technique but never seen it" Shizune said

"You're dismissed, go and help the others" The three were gone in a poof of smoke. She rubbed her temples "Ok everybody we need to get back out there so move"

"Wait!" Hanabi rushed forward "Hokage I have a note for Naruto-chan from Lady Okami" No one had seen Amaya nor Akane, her parents or Minoru. Naruto took the paper and read it aloud

"Dear Naruto, I'm sure you've already guessed that the Toras, Minoru and myself along with the Nousagi's are gone. We have an important meeting to attend regarding the thirteen clans. Sorry to leave on such short notice. Tell Sasuke his uncle will be coming for him soon. Jin apologizes for taking Hikari like he did but I ordered him too so don't give him undeserved anger. I expect you will want to come to her funeral, but we wont be having one. Too depressing. Take care of yourself. Lady Okami" Silence once again filled the room. The fox laid on top of Naruto's head. He snorted

_"No funeral, how strange. I always knew the Okami's were out of it"_

* * *

"I know that all of you are wondering if she can do this. I say she can. The Great wolf has chosen her to lead us, to take her father's place. Yes she is the first woman to have such a great task but I believe in her" Lady Okami spoke to the thirteen men seated around a long table in a very large room. The man nearest to her nodded his head in agreement. "What do you say my son?" He grinned. His carefree nature was like his oldest son's

"I'm all for it" The others cheered and clapped

"Its settled then, at the next meeting Okami Hikari will take her place as leader of the clans" More claps and cheers. Outside the door Miya paced, Temari hid a yawn and Kankuro watched Miya. The two were engaged, had been when she'd first gone to Konoha with her sister. Temari elbowed him

"Stop staring"

"I can if I want to" he stuck his tongue out. Temari rolled her eyes

"You're immature" She turned back to her friend "Miya calm down"

"Not until I know what the answer is"

"I cant believe your sister would do what she did. She could've died separating them like that"

"Hikari never worried about herself" The door opened. Koga Okami walked out, shutting it behind him. "Dad what did they say?"

"They agreed" A sigh of relief came out of her "Now all you have to worry about is your wedding. Kankuro?"

"Yes sir?"

"Gimme a hug, you'll be a part of the family" He pulled him into a bear hug

"Cant breath sir"

"What? Oh sorry" He slapped him on the back. "Tell your mother I'll be home later. I have to get Sasuke"

"Taking Jin with you this time?" Temari asked

"Nope for some reason he and the blonde kid I trained hated each other. I'll never understand it"

"What about the meeting sir?" Kankuro shouted after him

"Tell 'em to fuck off, I've got things to do" He whistled as he went down the hall.

"Your Dad is awesome, he's gonna be the best father-in-law ever" Kankuro grinned. Miya smiled

"I hope so, lets go see Hikari"


	12. Chapter 12

_Naruto stood in the Hokage's office, wearing all the robes and what not. His father stood in front of him, the Fourth Hokage. He smiled_

"_I'm proud of you Naruto, I knew you could do it" Naruto found himself not able to speak. He tried to talk but couldn't. His father patted him on the shoulder. "Take care of yourself and always remember you're not alone, you have people who care about you". Naruto sensed he was getting ready to leave. He didn't want him to. "You have much of your mother's personality but you look like me." He started to fade. Naruto wanted to scream, to yell for him to stay but he still couldn't speak. Finally he moved, wrapping his arms around his father. He felt him hug back, his chin resting on Naruto's head "I love you son" He whispered. Naruto felt tears coming to his eyes._

"_NARUTO! WAKE UP!"_

"Naruto, WAKE UP!!" Naruto felt himself being shaken. He opened his eyes to see Minoru standing over him. He groaned, pulling the blankets over his head "Get up lazy ass! It's the day of the wedding and everybody else is getting ready"

"Ok, ok. Gmme a minute" He mumbled

"Yeah, whatever but if you don't get outta bed now Sasuke said he'd come and drag you out"

"Like he could" Naruto sat up to see Minoru gone. He could hear noise outside of his room. He rubbed his eyes then swung his legs over the side. Today was the day of Kankuro and Miya's wedding. Naruto hadn't even known they were dating until Sasuke's uncle mentioned it. He cringed at the thought of Koga Okami. He was like Minoru and tended to joke around a lot. He had been training Naruto for awhile yet he'd still wake up sore from those sessions. Running a hand though his hair he started to stand when the door slid open and a woman peaked in. She had Sasuke's personality yet would go crazy when it came to Naruto. For some reason she absolutely loved him.

"Good morning sleepy head, breakfast is being served right now. I suggest you get something before the pigs that are my husband and sons eat it all" Mai Okami said. Her dark hair was cut short and pulled back. Wolf earrings dangled from her ears.

"Thanks"

"Your welcome and tell Tsunade" She frowned at her name "that I need to see her later" With that she slid the door closed. Naruto grinned. Mai and Tsunade had some weird competition over Naruto. When he'd had first met her she immediately became attached to him, making Tsunade jealous. Recently Tsunade had taken up cooking lessons and had treated Naruto to ramen several times in order to compete. Naruto liked the attention but the only problem was the women didn't know that he really could care less who made the best food or called to check on him every day. He shuffled over to his dresser, sifting through clothes. He sniffed a shirt, decided it was clean and put it on over the undershirt he'd slept in. He pulled a pair of pants over his boxers then shuffled out of the room and down the hall. The Uchiha estate had been taken over by the Okami's. They had fixed everything. Mai made sure to have the house as it was before the murders. The Okami's only stayed in it when they came to town, most of the time it was just Sasuke and Naruto, who had moved in upon his friend's request. Sakura had told him that Sasuke got lonely in the huge house though he never told Naruto that. Suddenly he felt something land on his head. He sighed

"Good morning fox". It growled

"_Its not a good morning when these pesky humans wake me up"_ . The fox, or Yoshi as Minoru had named him. The fox tended to sleep all day which made him grumpy when he was awakened. Naruto made it to the dining room. Koga sat at the head of the table reading a newspaper. Sasuke sat on his left eating while Hiro sat across from him tickling Minoru. Gaara sat at the other end with Kankuro who was reading a scroll.

"Well if it isn't Naruto, thanks for joining us" Hiro said sarcastically. Naruto stuck his tongue out then sat next to Sasuke.

"Where's Miya and Temari?"

"Getting dressed" Sasuke answered

"This is gonna be soooooo boring, Dad do I have to go?" Minoru whined

"If I do then you do kid" Koga turned the page

"That's fucked up"

"Watch your mouth" Naruto said

" That's. Fucked. Up."

"Mr. Okami are you gonna let him say that?".

"Mino stop fucking cussing so damn much. I've told you about that"

"Shit Dad, you do it all the time"

"Like hell I do. I bet you cant give five damn examples. Fuckin kids these days". Hiro made a face. Sasuke shook his head. Kankuro hid a chuckle. Naruto sighed. The whole Okami clan was crazy as far as he was concerned.

"_Naruto?"_

"Hmmm?"

"_You going to eat that?"_

"Help yourself" The fox jumped off his head onto the table and started eating his food.

"What the fuck?!" Koga folded the paper down "This isn't a damn zoo fox, get off the table!"

"_Make me"_

"Stupid ass fox, I hate foxes, damn motherfuckin asshole" He went back to his paper.

"Nervous Kankuro?" Naruto slapped him on the back.

"Of course not"

"Yes he is" Gaara said. Kiba gave him a mean look.

"There's nothing to worry about" Naruto grinned

"I promise Kankuro if you get cold feet I wont hesitate to kick your ass" Minoru said through a mouthful of rice.

"I would never do that Mino, not with a family like yours anyway" He smiled

"Damn straight" Koga sipped his tea. Soon everyone had left except Gaara and Naruto, and the fox who now slept atop Naruto's head.

"Uzumaki are you okay?" Gaara's gaze had softened. He'd noticed Naruto's distant look when he'd come in.

"Had a dream about my Dad. He said he was proud of me"

"He should be, you've done a great job. You're a good person Naruto"

"Can you believe it? Today will be my thrid month as Hokage". Gaara gave a rare smile. Naruto's brows knitted "I wish Hikari could've been here" Over the past year he had tried not to think about her but it was hard, especially when every time he saw the fox he thought of her and what she did. Gaara's smile disappeared. He'd been close to Hikari, she'd been like another sister. Naruto rose. He needed a walk.

* * *

Five minutes later Naruto was walking around the Uchiha estate in his rabbit house shoes given to him as a gift from Miyuki Nousagi. Naruto had gone down to their part of the village every chance he got. He'd bring toys, food and clothes. He usually went their especially if he wanted a break from his Hokage duties. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves.

"Naruto! I mean Hokage!" He turned to see Hinata racing up. He had made her his assistant. Tsunade had said she was better at it than Shizune "You need to get ready for the wedding, everyone else is"

"In a minute, is Kiba ready?" She blushed. Hinata and Kiba had been dating for some time.

"I was going to make sure after I found you" She wore a dark kimono with flowers imprinted on it. Her hair was tied back with a large matching ribbon. "Oh and Lady Okami is waiting in your office. She wants to meet with you".

"Really?" He hadn't seen her since before the big fight with Akatsuki the previous year. "She told you that?"

"No, Ichiwa Jin did" Naruto frowned. Another person he hadn't seen in a while.

"Ok, thanks Hinata"

"Your welcome, see you in a few hours" She ran off. Naruto eventually got dressed in made it to his office. Opening the door he found Amaya Okami sitting in the chair across from his desk and Jin sitting on the windowsill. He was surprised to see Jiraiya leaning against the desk, writing in his notebook

"Naruto! It took you long enough, don't you know to never keep a lady waiting?" He smiled

"Sorry, but what can I do for you Lady Okami?"

"First I would like to offer my congratulations on becoming Hokage"

"Thanks" he sat in his chair

"Second I would want to tell you something of great importance"

"Whats that?"

"A year ago my granddaughter supposedly died"

"I was there" he mumbled "And what do you mean 'supposedly'?"

"You were probably told that Jin sent chakra through her body" Naruto nodded "He gave her body a boost in order to keep it going. It's a very handy technique known only by those in his clan"

"But whats the point in sending chakra into her if she's dead?" Naruto leaned back. There was an awkward pause. Jiraiya cleared his throat

"Amaya tell him". She drew in a breath not knowing what kind of reaction she was going to get

"Tell me what? Whats going on?" Naruto was confused.

"She was taken on orders of our elders Naruto" Jin said quietly "She needed to be prepared in order to take her father's place as head of the Thirteen"

"What are you talking about?! Hikari died, I saw it. Everyone saw it!"

"No, an Okami's heart is able to calm down to a very slow pace. When the body is tired or a great stress has been put on it our heart is able to do this in order for us to gain our strength back. The pulse is detectable only to those who've been trained very well"

"You're saying she's alive?" He whispered

"Yes. She should be on her way to the wedding"

"Who else knows?"

"Her family and those in the Thirteen and a few others. She was allowed no visitors during her seclusion. Jin and I went to get her, bringing her here. Though her family knows, they weren't allowed to see her"

"This whole time…" Naruto put his hands on his desk.

"I'm sorry, she wanted to tell you"

"She's here?"

"Yes" Naruto ran from the room. "That went better than I thought" Jiraiya helped her up. "Jin you may go, I'm sure your mother and sisters are waiting for you at the ceremony" He nodded, jumping from the window. Jiraiya held out an arm for her. She linked it through as they began to walk.

"Naruto will be an excellent Hokage" She said

"If he learns to think first" He frowned. She laughed

"He reminds me of how you were, minus the writing" They mad their way to the out of the building.

* * *

Naruto had been running for what seemed like forever but he couldn't find her. Maybe she had made it to the wedding. As he turned to go in that direction he saw a woman walking away that looked like Hikari. Unfortunately the streets were crowded and after a few seconds of following her, he lost her. He sighed in furstation, plenty of emotions filled him. He couldn't decide whether to be happy that she was here or mad that he'd been kept in the dark. Finally he sat on the ground, resting his head against the building. People would pass nodding to him or kids would run up and hug him. He shouldn't have picked such an obvious spot. As he finished hugging a little boy someone sat beside him. Thinking Sasuke had found him he said

"Shouldn't you be at the wedding?" No response. Instead the person laid their head against his shoulder. "Sasuke whats wrong with you?" He looked down to see a head of dark, loosely curled hair with bangs combed out in the front. The head sneezed then looked up. Blue met brown eyes. Naruto's widened

"Hikari?"

"Yeah?" He was at a loss for words. When he didn't say anything she rolled her eyes and went back to resting on him.

"I thought you were dead"

"I know" she answered "I understand if you're angry"

"I'm not, I got you back. That's not something to be mad about" He grinned

"Has my family treated you decent?"

"They're all crazy"

"All Okami's are, have you met my dad's brothers?"

"No"

"They're crazier, we should probably head over or else I'll never hear the end of it from Miya" They stood "Wanna race?"

"Sure" Naruto knew how much she hated to lose

"If I win you have to hang out with Mino for a week" he cringed. The only one who could do that and survive was Sasuke or Hiro.

"I'll think of something for you after I win this" He patted her on the back

"Funny, Ready. Set. Go!" The two darted through the village. Their laughter following them. The woman had watched from the roof top. Everything was as it should be for now. The wind blew around her. She would talk with Hikari later but for the time being there was work to be done, there always was . She glanced up at the sky. The sun shone brightly.

"Look mommy!" A small girl pointed at her. The woman smiled down at her. "Mommy look! Its an angel!" The woman dropped a flower to the ground then did a backflip off the roof as the girl picked it up.

"What sweetie?" Her mother asked

"Up there!" The gazed where she pointed. "She's gone! Mommy I saw her! Konoha's angel!"

"Of course you did" Her mother picked her up.

"But I did!" The woman appeared behind them as they walked. She held a finger to her lips then held out a teddy bear. The girl took it, mouthing thank you. The woman smiled, placing her mask over her face. The girl blinked, she was gone. A wolf's howl could be heard in the distance.

A note from me- I finished it! Yes! I didnt want to make the ending too long or too sappy. I hate sappy endings. Anyway I'd like to say thanks to Ower, Mood Tech, Silent kunoichi, DrendeSalkash, Forgotten Werewolf and of course Uzukun7 for your reviews. You guys were the only ones who did and I appreciate it seriously. Thanks for all those who put this story in their alerts and the rest of you for reading. I'm off to play with my new 360 :) See ya


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